It Takes Two
by IReallyLoveSantana
Summary: Sequel to Regrets and Remorse. Fixing relationships is hard. Especially when family is involved.
1. Chapter 1

"You don't think it's too early for her to come home, do you?" Beca stood in the waiting room outside the hospital lobby, gripping the duffel bag that had just been delivered down to them. They had arrived at 8 PM sharp to pick up Jaiden on her 21st day of treatment. Dr. Wilson had called her that afternoon with the suggestion that they send the 18 year old home and Beca was anxious about it to say the least.

"Not if her doctor doesn't think it is." Chloe replied. The older girl's hand found her way to the small of Beca's back and she moved it in small circles. The action was better than any words she could offer, and Beca unclenched her fists just a little. A tiny ding from the elevator sent a jolt of nervous energy through her body mere seconds later, and they tightened right back up on the bag's strap.

"Just relax," Chloe murmured into her lover's ears. Beca's eyes didn't waiver from the elevator doors as they slid open and her sister stepped into view, accompanied by a nurse. Though visitors had been allowed after the second week, Dr. Wilson had called Beca and requested that she not come in. Due to her emotional impact on her sister, the physician had thought it best to keep the girls separated until she could get Jaiden into what she considered to be a "stable state".

The 18 year old looked…tentative to say the least. Dressed in old jeans and the hoodie she had worn on her second night, Jaiden had her hands shoved in the front pocket and her sneakers scuffed against the floor.

"Here, give me that." Chloe reached down and took the bag from Beca before giving her a small push forward. The brunette finally broke out of her frozen stare and started towards the girl she hadn't seen in 3 weeks. Jaiden looked up as Beca approached and to the older girl's surprise, she threw her arms around her.

"I missed you." Jaiden's voice was soft, but it hardened the lump in Beca's throat when she heard the three words.

"I missed you more, kid." She responded thickly. The siblings stood like that for almost an entire minute before parting and turning towards the door, where Chloe was waiting. The redhead gave Jaiden her absolute warmest smile and wrapped her into a one armed hug as soon as they had reached her.

"Ready to get going?" Jaiden nodded immediately at the question and politely took her bag from Chloe as they walked towards the exit. Just before they got to the revolving door, Jaiden heard her name being called by a voice that she had grown quite accustomed to. Jaiden turned, along with her two companions, and spotted Emily rushing towards her, followed by their room nurse.

"She wanted to say goodbye." The middle aged woman explained, just a bit irritably. Chloe and Beca exchanged curious looks as Jaiden set her bag down and walked up to the girl.

"Who is that?" Beca whispered, more to herself than anybody, as the girl with the long, dark hair threw her arms around her sister tightly. She couldn't help but notice the bandages that wrapped her wrists when her hands came around to cling to the back of Jaiden's hoodie.

"I don't know. She never mentioned having any friends." Chloe murmured. She watched as Jaiden leaned back a bit and said something to the girl.

"No more stupid shit," Jaiden kept her voice low, but her eyes screamed seriousness at Emily. The younger girl nodded in understanding and finally released her when their nurse cleared her throat impatiently.

"Don't get sent back here." Emily forced a watery smile and stepped back from her former roommate.

"I won't. See you when you get out." Jaiden replied. With that, the 18 year old turned back around and rejoined her sister. She braced herself as they walked out the door into the parking lot, preparing for the questions she knew would be asked.

"Who was that?" Surprisingly, it was Chloe who started the interrogation.

"Oh," Jaiden feigned surprise. "My roommate, Emily. She's a really nice girl. A lot of issues though."

"So the gauze on her arms-"

"Yep." Jaiden interrupted her sister, knowing what she was about to ask.

"You two seem kind of close." Chloe pointed out. Jaiden looked at her, a bit annoyed, and shrugged.

"Well, I guess we're friends. We lived together. I let her listen to that MP3 player you sent and she liked your stuff a lot." Jaiden turned the conversation over to Beca and of course, the smaller Mitchell blushed a bit at that. They reached the car and Jaiden climbed into the backseat, more and more anxious to be back at the apartment.

"You two should keep in touch. I'm sure it'll be good to have someone who understands more of what you're going through." Chloe suggested. The redhead had opted to drive, while Beca plopped down into the passenger seat.

"Maybe." Jaiden shrugged.

"Also, we have a little surprise for you when we get back to the apartment." Chloe winked at Jaiden as she glanced into the rearview mirror and backed out of the parking space.

"It's not a Welcome Home party is it?"

"No, no, we wouldn't ambush you like that." Beca shot the idea down before Jaiden could get too nervous about it and the 18 year old calmed down noticeably.

"Thanks." She murmured.

20 minutes later, the car stopped in front of the apartment building and Jaiden climbed out into the late October chill. Duffel bag in hand, Jaiden waited for her sister and Chloe to get out of the vehicle and walked alongside them up to their floor. Being in such a familiar surrounding left her more at ease than she had been in weeks, which was partially thanks to the new prescription Dr. Wilson had set her up with.

"Go in your room." Chloe prompted excitedly. Her girlfriend thumped her on the arm lightly, a subtle sign that she was being _too_ obvious, and then faked a normal-ish smile at Jaiden. The 18 year old squinted at them both skeptically before setting her bag down and walking cautiously down the hall. Chloe and Beca followed close behind and the redhead squeezed her girlfriend's hand with all the excitement of a toddler on their birthday.

Jaiden was a bit reluctant to open her bedroom door, but when she did, the complete change of color took her off guard. An odor of fresh paint hit her next, and she blinked in surprise a few times.

"Surprise! We painted your room!" Chloe announced obviously.

"I see that."

"Dr. Wilson said that a change of scenery might be helpful." Beca added quietly. From the tone in her voice, she was nervous for Jaiden's reaction.

"Thanks. I like it." She forced herself to say. In all honesty, she was completely indifferent to what color her walls were. She really just wanted a nap. But, the suspicious box in the middle of her bed was obviously going to prevent that. The suspicious box that was emitting a small series of thumping noises. "What's this?"

"Open it." Chloe was practically bouncing as Jaiden walked over to her bed and perched beside the box. The redhead beamed as her girlfriend's younger sister slowly opened the lid and jumped back as a tiny kitten hopped out.

"Oh my God." Jaiden's eyes were wide as she stared at the little ball of fluff that was padding around on her comforter.

"She said animals can be therapeutic too." Beca piped up. Finally breaking out of her initial shock, Jaiden scooped the kitten up and finally cracked a genuine smile as it mewed contently. "Well, we'll leave you alone to get settled. Pizza for dinner sound good?"

"Yeah, sounds great." Jaiden was entirely preoccupied by her new friend and barely noticed the other two girls leave the room. "Hi, little kitty. Hey," She cooed. The grey feline blinked up at her slowly and a faint rumbling sounded from its chest.

"Do you think she loved her?" Chloe asked as soon as they were down the hall. Beca, distracted by the pizza she was ordering on her Domino's app, glanced up and scoffed.

"Of course she did. She hardly noticed we left."

"I think she's really glad to be home. She just seems so relieved." Chloe smiled. She had been waiting for this moment since they had gotten the phone call and if she was being honest with herself, Beca's lack of enthusiasm was a bit disappointing. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" Beca frowned.

"You've barely smiled since we picked her up. I just kind of figured you'd be, you know, excited." Chloe shrugged. Her girlfriend finally put her phone down and stared blankly at her.

"I'm scared, Chlo. And although her doctors apparently are comfortable enough with this, I'm not. I have no idea how she's doing. She's not really giving us any hints." Beca's hands gripped the counter in front of her and she gritted her teeth in an attempt to get a hold of her anxiety. Chloe, who was growing more and more accustomed to her signs, turned around and reached up into the cabinet where they used to keep their liquor.

"Take your pills and calm down. This should be a happy day for you. Let it." Chloe handed Beca her prescription bottle and waited patiently for the younger girl to reluctantly pop two of them in her mouth. The tablets were tiny, and Beca had gotten the hang of swallowing them dry. Chloe liked to remind her that she resembled a female Dr. House when she did that.

"Thanks babe." Beca pressed a light kiss to her girlfriend's cheek as she handed her back the pill bottle.

"Can I have my phone back?" Jaiden's presence caused Chloe and Beca to both jump in surprise. The 18 year old stood there in the doorway, still holding her new companion.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Beca ran her fingers back through her hair with one hand as she opened one of the drawers and pulled out the iPhone. It had been sitting in there since the day they had gotten home from admitting Jaiden and when the teenager turned it on, a flood of notifications scrolled down the screen. Among the missed calls and messages, Jaiden couldn't help but notice Stacie's name appearing a view times. A pang of sadness shot through her chest as she unlocked the device and reluctantly tapped on the unseen messages.

 _Jaiden? Can I see you?_

 _Oh my God, I heard what happened. Are you okay?_

 _I can't tell if you're ignoring me or if you don't have your phone, but please don't cut me out of your life_

 _Jaiden, please talk to me_

"Did one of you tell Stacie?" Jaiden asked, looking up from her phone.

"You were gone for three weeks, hon. We had to tell the Bella's something." Chloe explained gently.

"What did she text you?" Beca demanded. Her girlfriend shot her a warning look and Beca forced herself to tone it down.

"She just sounds worried. I know you kind of hate her but…we haven't talked since everything and I miss her." Jaiden admitted.

"I think some closure would do you both good. How about you just tell her you're out and doing okay?" Chloe suggested. She looked to Beca for approval and the small brunette nodded curtly.

"Alright then." Jaiden shifted her kitten to her other hand and quickly typed out an " _I'm fine_ ".

"Pizza should be here in 20 minutes. Does dinner in the living room sound good?" Chloe lightened the conversation easily and nodded towards the other room. Surprisingly, Jaiden looked relieved at the idea and followed her over to the couch. Beca walked close behind them and all three girls settled on the couch together.

"Can we watch Grey's? I mean, I wouldn't mind seeing some _attractive_ doctors." Jaiden smirked. The kitten in her arms took the opportunity to hop onto the couch cushion.

"Ugh, _yes._ We've been waiting for you to get home to keep watching it." Beca clicked the Netflix app and eagerly scrolled through their list to find the TV series.

"So, what are you going to name her?" Chloe scratched behind the cat's ears and grinned as it purred contently. Jaiden's brow furrowed in deep thought as she stared at the small animal. A voice from the TV caught her attention and she smiled faintly.

"Bailey."

"Oh my God, _cute_." Chloe squealed. Jaiden's smile grew a bit wider and she looked over at her sister, who was watching them contently. For the first time in weeks, she was comfortable, _warm_ , and nearly happy.

 _ **Well, here's the first chapter. Hope you guys are down for a sequel. I felt bad about letting you all down, so I'll do my best to continue.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Emily stared at the empty bed across the room from her, clutching her pillow tightly. It was easy enough to feel alone in a psych ward, but ever since Jaiden had gotten released, the isolation had felt completely overwhelming. Dr. Wilson had told her if she could make it another week without relapsing or another hysterical episode, she would be tentatively released back into her parent's care. The seven days loomed ahead of her, depriving her of sleep or calmness.

"Checks." Her nurse peered through the doorway suddenly, shining a flashlight directly into Emily's eyes. Seeing that the teenager was wide awake at 3 am, she clicked the device off and let herself the rest of the way into the room. "What are you doing up, honey?"

"Can't sleep." Emily sat up and pulled her blanket up to her chest, shivering in the hospital's cool temperature.

"I'm no therapist, but do you need to talk?" The older woman asked. She sat down in the empty chair beside the bed and stifled a yawn. Night shifts had never been her forte.

"I don't know." Emily shrugged.

"Are you upset because your friend is gone?"

"I guess," The teenager sighed.

"You know it's good that she got released, right? It means she's recovering."

"I know," Emily insisted. "I just…I guess I miss her. She was moody and cynical but…she was also my friend."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to tell me. You followed Jaiden around like a puppy." Emily blushed at her comment and she looked down at her hands.

"I'm cyber schooled. I don't have a lot of friends because of my…my problems. It was just nice to have someone to hang out with."

"So get yourself out of here and hang out with her." The nurse tilted her head to the side and caught her patient's eye. Emily's face reddened, being that the solution was harder than it sounded, but nodded.

"I'm trying to."

* * *

"Jaiden, get up." Chloe's voice was entirely too loud and her face was entirely too close for it being 6 AM. Jaiden blinked in confusion a few times before sitting up in bed. Bailey, who had been curled up on her chest, protested with a tiny meow.

"What? Why?" The 18 year old groaned.

"Endorphins are really good for your mental health. So, we're going to go for a run every morning. Just me and you."

"You know I'm related to Beca, right? As in I hate mornings and _really_ hate moving in the morning." Jaiden flopped back down in bed, only to have her comforter pulled away and discarded to the floor. "You're an asshole." She groaned. Nevertheless, Jaiden got to her feet and wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"We'll leave in five minutes." Chloe grinned. The redhead left the room and shut the door behind herself; giving Jaiden more privacy than she was used to. She shuffled over to her dresser and rooted through the mess of clothes before finally finding a sport bra and shorts. Still a bit clumsy from sleep, Jaiden eventually managed to pull a t-shirt from her closet over her head, followed by a sweatshirt. Chloe was waiting for her at the front door by the time she walked out to get her sneakers.

"Don't forget to stretch." She reminded her reluctant companion. Jaiden rolled her eyes and did a halfhearted toe-touch.

"Let's go." Jaiden grunted.

"Don't whine to me when you pull a muscle." The older girl shrugged before opening the door. The two women made their way down to the lobby of the apartment complex and then into the early morning air. Jaiden immediately regretted wearing shorts as she felt goosebumps rise up over her legs.

"Where are we going?" Jaiden asked.

"To the park." With that, Chloe took off and Jaiden followed suit; breaking into an easy jog. The two girls jogged alongside each other in silence for a bit. Dodging the occasional pedestrian, Jaiden felt her heart rate spike and her breath came out in quick puffs of fog. It had been quite a while since she had actually worked out, and although her side ached mildly, she hated Chloe a little less for waking her up.

"Come on; this is a good trail." Chloe nodded towards one of the three trail openings in front of them and Jaiden followed her into the woods. The light was still dim since the sun hadn't quite risen yet, so neither Chloe nor Jaiden realized who was jogging towards them until it was too late.

" _Jaiden_!" Stacie's voice pulled the 18 year old out of the set pace she was counting her footsteps to in her head. Jaiden jolted to a stop and stared at the older girl with wide eyes. Chloe stopped as well, and was caught between trying to catch her breath and trying to give Stacie a death glare.

"Oh," Jaiden panted out. "Um, hi Stacie."

"I-I got your text last night. I'm so happy you got out. It's so good to see you." She smiled nervously.

"Uh, thanks. It's…good to see you too." Jaiden was obviously a little thrown off, something that her ex still picked up on, and Stacie looked towards Chloe with an expression that said " _I know_ ".

"Well, maybe I'll see you around. I miss you." The tall girl excused herself and nodded respectfully at Chloe before starting to jog again.

"I miss you too." Jaiden murmured after her. Chloe's eyes were trained on her worriedly as she watched her former girlfriend disappear into the trees.

"You okay?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," The younger girl nodded. "Just…didn't expect that." With that, she took off in the direction they had been running, this time at a faster rate. Chloe pursed her lips and took off after her, intent on finishing their run.

Two miles and a few blocks later, Chloe and Jaiden stepped back through the apartment door; covered in sweat. Beca was sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping at her first mug of coffee, and she did not envy either of the other girls at all when she took in their appearances.

"I'm getting a shower." Jaiden huffed when she walked past.

"Good; you need one." Beca called after her jokingly. She wrinkled her nose in disgust when Chloe pecked her on the cheek as she walked past on the way to their bedroom. "You too."

"On my way. Feel free to join me." The redhead teased. Beca's gaze fell to the swing of her hips as she walked away and it only took her a millisecond to make her decision. Chugging the rest of her coffee, Beca hopped up off of her stool and after her girlfriend.

* * *

Jaiden was sitting at the kitchen table, _scowling_ , when the two older girls returned.

"Please, for the love of God; turn on the radio next time. I did not need to hear that." She deadpanned.

"Sorry," Beca blushed profusely and pushed her damp hair back out of her face. "Do you want breakfast?"

"No thanks. These new meds kind of kill my appetite."

"Well, you still need to eat. That might spike it back up." Beca told her, a bit sternly. Though Jaiden would have typically been ready for an argument, being in the hospital had taught her that sometimes it's just easier for everyone to be compliant.

"Okay then." Jaiden got up from her seat and began rooting through the kitchen cupboards. Eventually landing on a box of cereal, Jaiden poured herself a bowl and then dumped a bit of milk in from the fridge. When she went to go back to her seat, she found two pairs of eyes trained on her. The teenager shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you guys staring?"

"Sorry, sorry," Beca apologized immediately. It's just…it's been kind of empty around here without you."

"If by empty you mean 'calm and far less stressful', I understand." Jaiden rolled her eyes and shoved a spoonful of cereal in her mouth.

"That's not at all what she meant." Chloe chastised gently.

"Correction; that's not what she said. Definitely what she meant though."

"Okay, subject change!" Beca intervened. "What do we want to do today?"

"Sleep." The teenager volunteered.

"No. You actually have to _do_ something."

"What is there to do?" Jaiden whined. "I already went outside today. That's enough."

"We could go shopping!" Chloe suggested excitedly. "Or we could have some of the Bella's over, or Aubrey-"

"Babe, I'm sure she doesn't want a ton of people over." Beca interrupted.

"True. But if you guys want to hang out with Aubrey, I don't really care. I mean, I assume she knows just about everything." Jaiden shrugged. The two older girls exchanged surprised glances.

"Oh. Well, okay. I'll give her a call." Beca said begrudgingly.

"Be nice." Chloe warned.

"I know, I know." Beca waved her off and pulled out her phone.

* * *

Mrs. Mitchell was, once again, unsure of herself. She had driven all the way up to the college, and turned right around in the parking lot. She would look far too obvious on the campus, being a middle aged woman who reeked of booze and sweat. So, she would go directly to her first problem; her ex-husband.

"Son of a bitch," The woman murmured as she forced herself to open her car door. _Dr. Mitchell_ was obviously home, considering the expensive Mercedes in the driveway. She staggered up to the porch, reeling from the lack of food and influx of booze she had consumed in the past 24 hours. Ted had drank because he didn't have anything else, but she drank for courage.

Mrs. Mitchell rang the doorbell three times before her ex-husband answered. When she saw how good he looked, a complete opposite of her descent since their divorce, she couldn't help but feel a bit foolish for standing on his porch.

"What…what are you doing here?" The professor stammered. From the way he blocked the half-open doorway with his body, she knew she wasn't welcome here.

"I bet…I bet you really got off on your precious daughter killing my Ted." She snarled. The man in front of her arched his eyebrows and wrinkled his nose as the stench of her breath hit him.

"You need to leave. And don't you dare go near either one of those girls-"

"Don't tell me what to do. They're my daughters too!"

"Goddamn it! Then act like it! You're a pathetic excuse of a mother, and you weren't any better of a wife. Get off my property." And with that, the door slammed in her face. Mrs. Mitchell took a few clumsy steps back and she scoffed indignantly.

"Son of a bitch," She repeated.

 _Uh oh. Could be some drama ahead. Let me know what you guys think and thank you so much for reading! I accidentally posted this in R &R first, so sorry for the confusion! I'm literally so stupid sometimes i swear_


	3. Chapter 3

Beca had just gotten off the phone with Aubrey when it lit up. One quick glance at the screen was enough for her to deny the call, considering it was her dad calling. She didn't associate with him in Jaiden's presence in an attempt to respect her aversion to the man.

"Is she coming over?" Chloe asked excitedly.

"Yep. She needs like, 15 minutes. Must need to put on her best bitch face-"

" _Beca!_ " The older girl rolled her eyes. "Be nice."

"I'm always nice. You know that." Beca smirked. Jaiden, who was watching them with a sort of bored amusement, rose from her spot at the table and shook out her stiff limbs.

"So, how much longer until I'm allowed to do normal, fun college things again?" She asked. Chloe and Beca exchanged a look and the brunette forced herself to be the one who answered.

"If you mean going to parties, then you've got a while to wait."

"You know the parties didn't make me depressed, right? I mean, _I'm_ not a psychiatrist, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the other times I ended up in the hospital." Jaiden deadpanned. Not wanting there to be an argument, Chloe nudged Beca before she could respond and shook her head.

"Yeah, well, we'll talk about this some other time." The tiny brunette responded. The amount of restraint she was using was evident in her voice.

"You can't keep me locked up in here forever." Jaiden reminded her irritably. Chloe shot her a warning look and she finally gave it up. "Fine, fine. I guess I'll be your prisoner." She whined.

"Somehow you've gotten even more dramatic." Chloe rolled her eyes and jumped as something brushed up against her leg. Looking down, she found their newest roommate brushing up against her leg. "Here," The redhead picked the kitten up and handed it to Jaiden. "Pay attention to your fur-baby."

"What am I supposed to do around here then? I've already missed too many classes to even try to pass this year. Like obviously I can re-enroll but not until next year." Jaiden pointed out as she shifted Bailey onto her shoulder. The kitten sunk her claws into the fabric of her shirt and meowed as if she was agreeing. "Spare time is the Devil's plaything or whatever."

"Then get a job." Beca replied bluntly. Her sister arched an eyebrow as she pet her cat and considered the option.

"You'd be cool with that?"

"Well, yeah. I suggested it."

"Okay then. So, who's hiring?"

" _Ooh!_ " Chloe interjected. "That cute little smoothie place a few blocks away is! I stopped there the other morning and saw the sign."

"Smoothies," Jaiden considered the option. "I could do that." And before she could even stop herself, a memory from a few weeks ago flashed through her mind.

" _I'm not_ fucking _drinking it!" Jaiden and Emily both jumped at the sudden outburst from one of their fellow residents. The two girls had been lounging on the couch in the living area silently, each of them reading a book, until the loud voice had so rudely interrupted them. They both turned towards the set of tables, where Olivia, one of the girls fighting anorexia, was giving a nurse one of the coldest death glares they had ever seen. Despite her disobedience, the nurse once again tried to hand her the bottled smoothie in her hands._

" _No!" She protested. Feeling rude for staring, Jaiden turned back around on the couch and was about to start reading again when she noticed how tense Emily had gotten. Frowning, she folded the corner of the page she had been on and shut her book._

" _You okay?" Emily looked over at her and nodded so stiffly she gave herself away. Becoming accustomed to the things that upset or triggered her relatively fragile roommate, Jaiden took her by the_ upper _arm and pulled her up. The older girl led the way out of the living area as more girls practically rushed past them to see the drama. Jaiden shut the door behind them once they were in their own room and finally released the 17 year old._

" _How can she think she's fat?" She whispered in heartbroken disbelief. Jaiden sighed and shrugged; feeling a bit of pity for the girl who was so sympathetic that other people's problems were enough to upset her._

" _I don't know dude. But, like, that's her thing to deal with. She'll figure it out."_

" _But what if she doesn't? I read that there's a 20% chance of someone with anorexia dying from it-"_

" _Woah, Em," Jaiden cut her off and shook her head before she could get herself too worked up. "You can't be doing that. You don't see anyone else getting that upset over my problems, or yours. Because everyone else is too busy focusing on themselves. So, you know, you can't be doing that either. You've got to work on yourself before you can help anyone else._

" _But you're still here and you help me." The younger girl pointed out. Jaiden's eyes widened a bit and she blinked in an attempt to shake off her surprise. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she offered an uncomfortable smile and rubbed the back of her neck._

" _Yeah, well, do as I say, not as I do."_

"Jaiden?" Her name being called snapped Jaiden out of her memory and she shook it off quickly in order to look present. Beca was staring at her with a bit of confusion. "You good?"

"Yeah, just spaced out." The younger Mitchell assured her. She stood up from her seat and started towards her room after stretching out her legs. "I'm going to go put some real clothes on."

"Why? It's impossible to impress Aubrey anyway!" Beca called after her. That remark earned her another swat on the arm and mild glare from her girlfriend.

"Don't you start anything, Beca." Chloe warned.

"You know I love her. I just love-hate her. It's our friendship. Our frenemy-ship." Beca assured her. She kissed the redhead on the lips for good measure and hugged her from the side affectionately.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Jaiden came out of her room in a pair of jeans and a sweater. Chloe had already raced to the front of the apartment to meet her best friend, and Beca was lazily flipping through TV series options on Netflix in the living room.

"Jaiden, hey! It's so good to see you." The 18 year old forced herself to smile when Aubrey spotted her and nodded respectfully at the older woman. She suddenly felt very on her toes about how much she was being watched. Beca was trying to hide the fact that she was watching her like a hawk, but it was obvious enough to her. She had to act happy, all the time or she was going to be bombarded by inpatient threats and forced "emotional" talks.

"Hey." She offered quietly.

"Aubrey, just a quick note, if you're going to puke at any time today, there's a trash can in the kitchen and bathroom down the hall-"

"Nice to see you too, Beca. 1. If I vomit, it will be because of you. 2. It will be in your bed, on your side." The tall blonde shot back confidently. The comeback earned her an arched eyebrow and smirk from her former teammate and she took it as her cue to retire onto the couch beside her. Chloe followed a few seconds after and Jaiden chose the armchair across the coffee table.

"So how are the nerds coming along?" Beca asked once everyone was settled.

"Decently. They've all _obviously_ been slacking on the cardio, but I'll have them whipped back into shape soon. Stacie quit though."

"What?" Jaiden sat up in her chair and stared at the blonde in disbelief. "She quit?"

"Oh, yeah," Aubrey nodded. "She really didn't give a notice or a reason or anything. Just stopped coming."

"Good." Beca grunted.

"She didn't mention it this morning-" Chloe cut herself off when she realized what she had just let slip. Beca turned on her with daggers in her eyes.

"Considering you were with Jaiden this morning, I only have to assume that both of you were with Stacie. What the _hell_?"

"Beca, chill. We ran into her on one of the trails in the park. It's fine." Jaiden's voice was flat and she looked incredibly frustrated. If there was one thing she hated; it was being babied.

"I just don't like the idea of you being around her." Beca defended herself.

"Okay, cool. But I'm still an adult and you can't control every aspect of what I do. Legal bullshit aside."

"Can both of you just calm down?" Chloe interrupted. Aubrey, who had been watching the altercation with subtle interest, turned her attention towards her best friend. She was a little more than curious about how the dynamic between the three of them worked, especially after the drama that had unfolded after she had brought Jaiden home a few weeks ago.

"I am calm!" The volume in Jaiden's voice was enough to entirely discredit what she was claiming. "You shouldn't have told her."

"Wow. This is even more dysfunctional than I imagined." Aubrey noted. She arched an eyebrow when Beca snorted in annoyance, but her minor distraction was enough to cut the tension in the room a little bit.

"Welcome to my world." Jaiden sighed. Before Beca could say something, her phone began to ring and she frowned when the word " _Dad"_ blinked across the screen. The small brunette stood up and just barely left the living room before she answered it. It was often that Dr. Mitchell would continue to call her. He usually respected her privacy.

"Hello?"

" _Beca? Where are you? Is your sister with you?"_ Beca frowned and glanced towards the arm chair Jaiden was slouching in.

"Yeah, why? What's going on? We're at the apartment."

" _Your mother just showed up on my porch. She seems drunk and completely out of it and I have no idea what she's doing in town or where she went."_

"What?" Beca couldn't mask the sudden burst of panic in the word. Upon receiving concerned glances from the other three girls, she walked into the kitchen and lowered her voice.

" _Look, don't worry. I already called the cops and they're looking for her right now. Just stay at home until I work this out."_

"Okay. Thanks for the call." Beca said.

" _Of course. I love you."_

"Love you too." Beca hung up the phone and forced herself to turn back around. Jaiden was staring at her from her spot in the chair; paying no attention to the idle chat Chloe and Aubrey had taken up. The 18 year old watched her the whole way back to the living room and before she could even sit back down, she asked the question.

"Why did your dad call?"

Beca couldn't make herself answer right away. In fact, she actually averted her gaze when Jaiden's narrowed on her.

"Mom is back in town. She showed up at his house-" Beca couldn't even finish her explanation before Jaiden had leapt up and booked it towards the door.

 _ **Uh oh. A bit of drama on the horizon. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think/what you'd like to see. Thanks for reading!**_

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	4. Chapter 4

Jaiden was sprinting. Barefoot and filled with panic, she pumped her arms back and forth and raced down the apartment hallway. She slammed her hand against the elevator button frantically, trying outrun the pounding footsteps she heard pursuing her. Much to her instant relief, the doors slid open with a quiet _ding_ and she threw herself inside before practically punching the "Shut Doors" button. They were closing, cutting off the image of the three older girls racing after her, until Aubrey's hand made it through the small crack. Before Jaiden could stop her, the blonde slid her thin frame through the doors and then hit the red button that stopped the machine all together. With the doors shut and no means of escape, Jaiden backed herself into the wall behind her.

"Jesus, you can't just run every time you get scared." Aubrey shook her head disapprovingly and crossed her arms. She couldn't help but notice the heaving of Jaiden's chest and she gripped the bar behind her tightly. The younger girl didn't respond, but instead looked past Aubrey, obviously planning an escape. The tall blonde made a quick move towards Jaiden and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Come on, sit down." Aubrey coaxed. She slid both herself and Jaiden down to the floor, until they were both sat on the thin carpet of the elevator.

"Please just let me out of here. I need to get away." Jaiden pleaded finally. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. Aubrey shook her head and squeezed her shoulders in a meager attempt to calm her down.

"No, you don't. We're just going to talk in here right now. You're safe and you're okay," Aubrey paused, trying to catch Jaiden's gaze. "Do you understand?" She didn't respond. "Jaiden, come on, I need you to focus. I am here, and you are safe."

"Okay." The 18 year old whispered.

"Okay," Aubrey nodded. "What are you running from? What was going to hurt you back in the apartment? Was there anything?"

"My mom could find out where we love and-"

"I asked if there was anything back there that could hurt you," Aubrey interrupted. When Jaiden reluctantly shook her head, the blonde smiled in subtle triumph. "That's right. Sweetie, you cannot run like that every time you get scared. You have to take a second and go over whether or not you're actually in danger. You have to analyze the situation."

"But it's not safe to stay here." Jaiden argued nervously.

"Yes, it is. Nothing is going to happen to you here. No one is coming for you." She reassured her. "Are you ready to get out of the elevator?"

" _No_ ," Jaiden glanced fearfully at the closed doors. "Beca's going to send me back to the hospital. I promised her I wouldn't do this-"

"She will not. I won't allow it."

"I just don't feel safe right now, Aubrey. No matter what you say or do, I just won't. I know I'm being stupid and overreacting, but that doesn't make me feel better. That's the whole thing about anxiety." Jaiden explained in exasperation. Aubrey sighed in frustration before standing up.

"Okay then. What can I do to at least help? Or what can Beca do?"

"I don't know. It just seems inevitable that she's going to come here."

"Maybe she will. And I've never met your mom, but I don't think she's a strong enough woman to break down a door. Just because there's potential she could come here, doesn't mean she can get to you or your sister." Aubrey pointed out wisely. The blonde suppressed a relieved sigh as she noticed a look of consideration in Jaiden's eyes.

"Alright." The brunette murmured finally. Struggling to her feet, she refused Aubrey's help before hitting the button to unfreeze the elevator. The metal doors slowly slid open to reveal a very concerned two girls on the other side. Aubrey shot them each a look that meant " _I handled it"_ and stepped out gracefully. Jaiden shuffled behind her and made sure not to make eye contact with her sister. She followed Aubrey the entire way into the apartment and then made a bee-line for her room. Jaiden fought the instinct to close her door behind herself before crawling into bed and pulling her blankets up over herself. She was embarrassed, and if she was being totally honest with herself; a little ashamed. The instinct to flee had taken over so quickly and so unexpectedly that she hadn't had time to fight it. She just ran.

"Jaiden?" It didn't take five minutes before Beca poked her head through the doorway. The 18 year old didn't bother to turn around, but grunted a wordless response and listened as her sister moved the rest of the way into her room and perched cautiously on the edge of the bed. "Are you okay?" The younger girl grunted again. She felt Beca lay down beside her.

"What are you doing?" Jaiden fed into the awkward silence eventually. Although she had enough pride not to roll over, the brunette slid a little closer to her sister.

"I just don't really know what to say." Beca admitted. "But I didn't want you to be alone."

"I'm fine. I just want to sleep."

"Okay. Go to sleep. I won't try to say anything." Beca assured her. Jaiden huffed in defeat, having secretly wanted to be alone, but remained silent. Eventually, despite Beca's presence, the younger girl started to drift off.

* * *

"Excuse me? Nurse?" Emily had waited at least an hour for the hallway traffic to die down enough for her to comfortably make her way to the nurse's station. "Can I please use the phone?"

"Sure, honey. Half an hour limit, though." Emily had heard that reminder far more times than she would have liked to in the past few weeks, but nodding in understanding as always. The lanky brunette made her way towards the wall of phones along the south hallway and unfolded the crumpled piece of paper in her hands. Jaiden had given her her cellphone number just before she had been discharged, and Emily had forced herself to wait; not wanting to annoy anyone. But now, finally, she was punching in the number with a subtle tremor in her fingers. By the time it started ringing, she had nearly chickened out and slammed the device back onto its hook. Forcing herself to hold on, Jaiden's voice filled the line eventually-groggy with sleep.

" _Hello?"_

"Hello? Jaiden? It's me, Emily."

" _Oh, hey. Is everything okay?"_ Emily breathed a sigh of relief when Jaiden didn't seem annoyed with her.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I just…wanted to see how you were doing." She explained quickly. "You sound tired. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"I was taking a nap, but it's no big deal. I'm doing fine. How about you?"

"I'm okay. I get out in a couple of days. I wanted to let you know."

" _Oh_ ," Emily could hear the surprise in her friend's voice. " _That's…that's great."_

"You don't sound like it is."

" _No, no, no, it's not that."_ Jaiden backtracked quickly. " _Um, are you sure you're ready though? Like you're not scared of relapsing?"_

"Do you seriously think I need to stay in here longer?" Emily's voice rose in pitch and she received a warning look from the nurse at the desk. "You know Dr. Wilson wouldn't release me unless she knew I was ready-"

" _Emily, woah, chill. I know that; I'm happy for you. Don't read too much into everything I say. You know that fucks with you_."

"Right, sorry." Emily clenched her eyes shut as her face reddened in embarrassment. "But, I also just wanted to ask if maybe we could see each other when I get out." Her face grew even redder at that request.

" _Yeah, absolutely. Just, you know, text me whenever you want to chill._ "

"Okay. Well, that's all I really had to say. I guess I'll see you soon." Emily twisted the phone cord in between her fingers and cringed at how awkward she sounded. It seemed that this hospital was making her even worse with people.

" _See you soon. Goodbye."_

* * *

As Jaiden hung up the phone, she was forced to meet her sister's tired, yet remotely interested gaze.

"Who was that?" Beca questioned curiously.

"One of my friends from treatment. She's getting out soon." Jaiden explained begrudgingly.

"Was it the girl we saw when we-"

"Yes, it was the girl you saw when you picked me up. And it's not a big deal." The 18 year old cut her off. Beca yawned and arched a disbelieving eyebrow.

"So…her name is Emily?" Jaiden huffed irritably and threw herself back on the bed. She didn't want to talk about this to begin with, because that would require thinking about it; something Jaiden had been avoiding since she first started growing close with Emily.

"Yeah."

"You seem like you like her." Beca prompted.

"Beca, can we not? I…I haven't really thought about it. And I'm not exactly looking for a relationship right now anyways."

"Look, I get it. You got your heart broken; we've all been there. But, I don't know…I just feel like you need someone who knows more of what you've been through. So, regardless of whether or not you _like_ her, don't push her away. She probably needs someone just as much as you do." Beca advised quietly. It was one of her more prominent moments of sisterly wisdom, and Jaiden wasn't oblivious to the change in her voice. Beca was serious about this; dead serious.

"I already told her I'd see her after she got out." Jaiden mumbled defensively.

"Well, I'm going to hold you to that." Beca said. The tiny brunette nodded in a bit of self-affirmation and she crawled out of the bed. "Come on; come out and get some dinner before Aubrey leaves and you go back to bed."

"Fine." Jaiden grunted. She forced herself to stand, still a little sheepish about how she had acted earlier. Nevertheless, Jaiden bit the inside of her cheek and walked after Beca out of the bedroom.

 _ **Well, Emily's going to be getting out next chapter! Let me know what you'd like to see, and sorry about the wait!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Beca made sure that her bedroom door was locked twice before pulling out her phone and scrolling down to Dr. Wilson's name in her contacts. She knew her sister would be less than thrilled if she overheard Beca meddling in her person business like this. And truthfully, the brunette felt a little ashamed at how nosey she was being. This was Chloe-level meddling.

" _Dr. Wilson speaking; can I help you?"_ The young doctor's voice pulled Beca out of her thoughts and she shook the residual guilt out of her mind.

"Yeah, hi, it's Beca. Jaiden's sister,"

" _Beca, is everything alright?"_ The doctor sounded a bit concerned.

"Oh, yeah, everything's totally fine. And like, I know you can't disclose other patients' information but I wanted to ask if you could tell me when Emily…I don't know her last name," Beca admitted. "But she was friends with my sister. Can you at least let me know when she's getting out? She called here the other day and I think that it'd be good for Jaiden to have someone who knows part of what she's going through." There was a long pause, the shuffling of some papers, and then Dr. Wilson sighed.

" _Well, is usual circumstances, I wouldn't disclose something like this, but she's actually getting out tomorrow."_

"Oh, okay, awesome." Beca nodded. "I'll let Jay know. Thank you so much."

" _Of course. Please don't ever hesitate to give me a call."_

"Thanks again, Dr. W. Have a good day." Beca hung up her phone just as the doorknob wiggled. Not wanting to be suspicious, the brunette darted across the room and unlocked the door. Chloe stood there and tilted her head to the side, waiting for an explanation. She found herself getting pulled into the room without an explanation and Beca quickly shut the door behind them.

"That girl Jaiden is friends with gets released tomorrow and I think we should trick them into hanging out." The small girl blurted out. Chloe blinked in surprise a few times before crossing her arms and considering the option.

"Okay. Do you have a plan?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure they'll probably start texting when she gets out, so if one of us can steal her phone, we could get her number," Beca started out.

"And then we can see if she'd want to meet up somewhere, and then we can just trick Jaiden into going." Chloe finished for her. Usually, it would be her that came up with a plan like this, but it was more than amusing to hear it come from her girlfriend.

"She won't get too mad about this, right?" Beca ran a hand through her hair nervously.

"Probably not." Chloe shrugged. "Maybe she likes this girl."

"I think this girl likes her. I mean, you saw the way they were when Jaiden left."

"I just…if Jaiden starts getting feelings for her or something and she turns out to be straight; that could be really hard." Chloe pointed out.

"Shit…shit. Maybe we shouldn't do this. I'm not even sure she's completely over Stacie."

"No, we still should. But, I think it's important to talk to her about it and make sure she doesn't get her heart broken again for no reason. She doesn't need another setback." Chloe told her firmly. Now that this was set, she wasn't going to let Beca back out. Not when she was really starting to take charge of things. "This will totally be good for her. You had a great idea, Becs."

"I hope so." The brunette mumbled; suddenly a little doubtful of herself. This was either going to be very good or very bad.

* * *

She was starting to freak out. Despite how many times she had counted to 10 and reminded herself to breathe, Emily was still freaking out. Being in treatment had given her a way to give up her own control. It was easy to stay strong when people were watching your every move. Being home, on the other hand, was a whole different story. She knew she could get away with things again. And Emily knew if she was given the chance, she would.

She would get away with it again, just like she always did. Slinking off to the bathroom to grab a quick "shower", or using the dim light from her phone in the middle of the night; it didn't matter either way. No matter how careful she was, her parents eventually found or glimpsed something. Then it was the hospital all over again.

"Emily?" The 17 year old was pulled out of her thoughts when her nurse stepped through the doorway. "Dr. Wilson is waiting for you in her office. Get a move on." She prompted. Emily sat up in bed and put her sock-clad feet onto the cold tile floor, having completely forgot about her last appointment for the day.

"Sorry. Must have lost track of time." She apologized nervously. With that, Emily scampered out of the room and down the hallway, practically vibrating with anxiety. Dr. Wilson's door was open and the office was just as inviting as always. The young doctor was waiting at her desk, flipping through the small novel's worth of papers on her desk.

"Emily, there you are," Dr. Wilson smiled. She closed the manila folder on the desk and folded her hands on top of it as her patient took a seat. "So, tomorrow's the big day."

"Yep."

"How do you feel about that?" The psychiatrist tilted her head to the side.

"Well, um, excited. It'll be nice to not be so cold all the time." Emily forced herself to laugh. She had this nagging feeling that her discharge was all just a cruel joke, and that they were going to change their minds just before she could leave.

"Would you like to know who I got a call from yesterday?" The question caught Emily completely off guard, but she nodded anyways. "I got a call from Jaiden's older sister. She wanted to know when you were getting released."

"What?" Emily panicked a little bit. "Why? Is Jaiden okay?"

"Calm your thoughts," Dr. Wilson chastised. "From what I've heard, Jaiden is doing fine. But I do get the feeling she's been a little anti-social and that's why Beca called. From my professional standpoint, I'm going to recommend that you two spend some time together as a sort of…support group of your own. From what I understand, you two became rather close, right?"

"Yeah. Jaiden and I…I like her a lot." Emily admitted. The teenager stared down into her lap and her doctor squinted at her for a few seconds, deep in thought.

"I know we've never discussed this before, but have you ever really given any thought to your romantic preferences?" Dr. Wilson asked gently. Emily's face reddened immediately and she shook her head.

"No, uh, no, I never really have. I'm not…I'm not in _love_ with Jaiden or anything-"

"Of course not, no," Dr. Wilson cut her off with the wave of her hand. "I wasn't trying to imply that in the slightest. I'm just trying to cover anything I missed before tomorrow morning."

"I doubt you've really missed anything." Emily sighed. The psychiatrist had spent countless hours questioning and examining every thought she admitted to having. "If it's okay with you, can I just go to sleep? This has been the longest day I've ever had."

"Of course. I'll see you in the morning." Dr. Wilson smiled. Free to go, Emily stood up and hurried back to her room. She ignored the jealous, angry stares of the girls in the hallway who had heard she was getting out. Some of them had been there for months, and tensions ran high when a release day was set. Once she was safely in her bed, Emily turned down the florescent lights above her bed and stared up at the ceiling, hopefully for the last time.

* * *

Chloe's lungs started to burn as she tip-toed through the dark bedroom. She had been holding her breath since she had stuck into Jaiden's room. With her eyes trained on the iPhone resting atop her nightstand, Chloe snagged it lightly and then paused. When Jaiden didn't so much as stir under her blankets, the redhead spun around silently on the balls of her feet and hurried stealthily out of the room.

"Did you get it?" Beca whispered as soon as Chloe emerged into the hallway. Her girlfriend held up her hand and nodded triumphantly before unlocking the device a few seconds later.

"What was her name again?"

"Emily," Beca reminded her. Chloe scrolled through the 18 year old's contacts until she found the number and Beca was quick to type it into her own phone.

"Should I sneak it back in?" Chloe asked uncertainly, staring down at the device in her hand.

"Nah," Beca shook her head. "Just toss it on the couch in the living room. She'll just think she forgot it there last night."

"Smart," Chloe noted. The taller of the two did as she was told and then followed Beca into their bedroom. The couple crawled into bed together and Beca fell into her usual pre-bedtime position; resting in between Chloe's legs and leaning back against her torso. With a blank, new message to her newest addition in her contacts, Beca's thumbs hesitated above the touch screen.

"What should I type?" She sighed uncertainly.

"Here," Chloe took the phone from her. "Let me." The redhead began to type and Beca watched her began to spell out a message.

 _Hi Emily! This is Beca, Jaiden's sister. I was wondering if maybe you could help me surprise her? My girlfriend and I were planning on taking her out to lunch somewhere and then you could join us or something. Just let me know one way or the other. Thanks!_

"You make me sound so nice." Beca scoffed. She watched as Chloe pressed send and then tossed her phone onto the nightstand.

"That's because you are nice sometimes. To me." Chloe replied. The redhead slunk her arms around Beca's waist and squeezed affectionately.

"Asshole to the world, but never to my girl."

"That might be the most Kanye West thing that's ever come out of your mouth." Chloe giggled. Beca sat up and crawled over beside her girlfriend.

"Thank you." The brunette smirked. She slid under the covers and waited for Chloe to turn off their bedside lamp before she snuggled into her side.

"I'm really proud of you, baby. You've been so good with her since she got home." Chloe murmured quietly. She ran a soft hand up and down Beca's side under their duvet. All she got in response was Beca burying herself into her side a little more as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Emily, wake up. You've got to get going, honey. Your parents are going to be here any minute." Emily woke abruptly to the sound of her day-time nurse's voice in her ear. A few seconds passed before she realized what was going on, and once she did, she was up on her feet in a moment. The teenager had set out her outfit the day before and was a little flustered to realize that the only pair of clean sweatpants she had left were the ones Jaiden had left her. So she dawned those and a t-shirt, being that her bag had been packed the night before and was probably already waiting down in the lobby for her.

"Ready to go?" The nurse asked. Emily nodded eagerly and tried to hide how badly her hands were shaking as she walked past the older woman. The hallways were relatively empty, being it was earlier than most of the other girls would wake up. For the first time in a while, she was out of the psych ward and in the elevator. She was on her way home.

 _ **Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review/send me any requests.**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Jaiden, get up! Its noon and we're going out to lunch." Jaiden woke up to two piercing blue eyes staring down at her and a disapproving sister shaking her head at the way she had just been woken up. Bailey, who had been resting comfortably on her owner's chest, got up and stretched with a large yawn. The kitten's claws sunk into Jaiden's chest and the 18 year old shot up with a quiet string of cuss words.

"Why are we going out?" She grumbled. Chloe stepped aside so that Jaiden could get to her feet and he annoyed teenager sat her cat down onto the floor gently.

"Can't we just take you out to lunch for once?" Chloe shrugged innocently. Jaiden didn't buy it for a second, but she wasn't interested enough to argue. Whatever they had in store couldn't be worse than a screaming match that inevitably ended in slammed doors and forced heart to hearts later.

"Let me throw on something. I'll be out in a few minutes." She told them reluctantly. Chloe and Beca left her some privacy when they shut their door on the way out. Jaiden sighed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before scouring her floor for a clean pair of jeans. After eventually finding a pair, she threw on a plaid button up and then a grey sweater over that. From the look of the wind and rain outside, she figured that it was about that time of year for layers. One quick coat of mascara later, and she was emerging from her room sleepily.

"So, where are we going?" She asked. Beca looked up and hid her phone, just a little too quickly, and flashed an odd smile.

"Chloe and I were hungry for Ralph's. Does that sound okay?" The brunette replied nervously.

"Yeah, whatever." Jaiden shrugged. She slipped on the boots that were waiting by the door and headed out of the apartment first. Beca and Chloe followed close behind.

"Are you guys going to tell me the real reason why we're doing this or do I have to wait?" Jaiden questioned dryly.

"What do you mean? We just want to take you out." Chloe assured her. She was a much better actress than her girlfriend, but Beca had already made her suspicious enough.

"Bullshit."

"We just want some sandwiches, jeez!" Beca sounded incredibly defensive and she lightly swatted Chloe on the arm in a bit of a panic. She was not good with secret plans.

" _Okay_ …" Jaiden drew the word out, signaling that she didn't believe them but wasn't going to pursue it. So the three girls made their way down to the parking lot in silence. The youngest of them crawled into the backseat and popped her headphones in. Ignoring whatever small talk they might have attempted with her, Jaiden opted to stare out the window at the miserable autumn day. The sweater and flannel she wore didn't do a lot against the chill that had made its way into the previously parked vehicle and it didn't take long for her to start shivering. The cold reminded her of her time in treatment and she blinked away a few florescent light filled memories.

Ralph's Diner wasn't terribly far away from their apartment complex, but the traffic was bad and it took them almost 20 minutes to finally get there and find a parking spot. Jaiden begrudgingly took out one of her headphones and followed Beca and Chloe into the restaurant. She was too busy wiping the cold rain from her face to notice the wide eyes that were trained on her.

"Jaiden!" The exclamation of her name caught Jaiden's attention and she looked up in time to see Emily, of all people, staring at her from an otherwise empty table. The 18 year old whipped her head around to glance between Beca and Chloe accusingly before darting towards the bathroom. The two older girls ran after her and she struggled to get a hold on the building anxiety in her chest.

"Jay? What's going on? We thought you'd want to see her-"

"No, I _don't_!" Jaiden cut her off angrily. "You guys have to butt into everything!"

"I told you I was going to hold you to seeing her." Beca reminded her. Chloe laid a hand on her arm in order to calm her down a bit, and the brunette bit her lip.

"You can't control my relationships, Beca! You know I don't want to…I don't want to do this." Jaiden's voice softened and Chloe realized immediately that the younger girl was doing something Beca had practically invented; distancing herself from someone she cared about.

"Beca, can you give Jaiden and I a minute?" The redhead requested. Though a bit reluctant, Beca nodded and left the restroom to go try to explain what had just occurred to her sister's friend. Chloe leaned against the set of sinks behind them and watched as Jaiden paced worriedly. "You can't push everyone away." She reminded her.

"Chloe, don't." The younger girl warned.

"No, you need to listen." Chloe's voice was stern, and she crossed her arms firmly. "From what Beca's told me, I think you like that girl out there a lot. And the last thing you want to do is hurt her, which is what you're going to do if you stay in here much longer. She's going to get worried and she's going to come in here and check on you, and then you're going to snap at her, just like always." She predicted knowingly. Jaiden, caught off guard by the detailed analysis, took a step back and completely paused for a moment.

"Fine." The 18 year old emitted defeat as she turned around on her heels and walked back out into the diner, where her sister was waiting. Jaiden caught sight of Emily sitting alone at their booth, since Beca had opted to stay right outside the bathroom door. The younger brunette looked up at the movement heading towards her and straightened up at the sight of Jaiden, who was too busy swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Hey," Jaiden mumbled as she forced herself to slide into the seat beside Emily. A pair of arms snaked themselves around her almost immediately and the familiar smell of the younger girl's shampoo made Jaiden cringe at the nostalgia it caused.

"I missed you so much." Emily's breath gusted against Jaiden's neck as she whispered the statement, causing blood to rush to the older girl's face. She pulled away quickly and choked out a "yeah". Beca and Chloe, who had sat down across from them, exchanged understanding glances about how worked up Jaiden was.

"So, Emily, this is my girlfriend Chloe. She lives with Jaiden and I," Beca introduced Chloe with a vague gesture towards the redhead, who beamed at Emily.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you." Chloe told her. Emily nodded, though still a bit distracted by Jaiden's odd demeanor, and smiled at the gorgeous older girl. She had heard a lot about Chloe, mostly complaints, during her and Jaiden's late night talks. And seeing the redhead's bubbly dispositioned compared to Jaiden's, it was obvious why.

"Nice to meet you too." Emily returned the smile nonetheless. She was suddenly thankful for the first time for her meds, because she could feel the onset of anxiety that she knew would be far worse without them. This was not a comfortable situation, at all. Jaiden seemed like she didn't even want to be in the same building as her.

"Glad to see our party is all here," Their waiter interrupted right then and Jaiden breathed out a sigh of relief. "So, what can I get everyone?" The 18 waited for the other three as they chose for the menu and finally asked for a large black coffee.

"Yeah, that's all." She confirmed when the young man questioned her. Jaiden went back to staring out the window and half listened to idle conversation that the other girls were working on. It was only when she heard her name called that she finally broke her gaze away from the gloomy day outside. "What?"

"I just…I just asked if you were back in your classes." Emily replied nervously. The other girl's defenses softened a bit when she read the hurt in her former roommate's expression.

"Oh, sorry, no. I'm just going to reenroll next year cause, you know, I've missed too much."

"I get it. I'm finishing my senior year in cyber glasses for the same reason."

"Well," Chloe interjected. "Jaiden's really, really good at chemistry and math and stuff. If you ever need help, I'm sure she can come over and get you all caught up." The redhead could feel her girlfriend's sister's glare the moment the words left her mouth, but her smile didn't falter.

"That'd be great actually." Emily nodded. Jaiden forced a weak smile and nodded back at her despite the position she had just been forced into. If there hadn't already been a future fight waiting back at the apartment, there was now.

"Here's your drinks," The waiter cut the tension once again as he appeared at their table. Apparently sensing that this wasn't a joyous outing for anyone involved, he was quick to set their beverages in front of them and quickly walk away.

"So," Beca fiddled with her straw wrapper as an awkward silence ensued.

"I'm actually going to use the restroom," Emily stood up suddenly, and Jaiden was forced to as well as she clambered out of the booth. Beca and Chloe stared at her in confusion and Jaiden ran her fingers back through her hair.

"You freaked her the fuck out. This isn't comfortable for any of us." She snapped angrily. "Just stay here. You've done enough." With that order, Jaiden stalked off towards the bathroom, despite the bundle of nerves in her stomach. Seeing Emily had caught her completely off guard and entirely overwhelmed her, but knowing that the younger girl was probably having a breakdown forced her into the bathroom. The first thing she heard was a stifled gasp coming from inside one of the stalls.

"Em? Are you, uh, are you okay?" Jaiden choked out. The brunette inched her way towards the closed stall as she listened for a reply.

"I-I'm fine. I'm sorry." A stammering voice sounded from the other side of the metal walls.

"No, you're not." Jaiden replied knowingly. She tried the door handle, but the lock was still jammed in place. "I can't believe I'm fucking doing this." The 18 year old got down on her hands and knees and shimmied under the bathroom door; trying desperately not to think about all of the germs she had just acquired. Standing up, she came face to face with a very familiar sight. Emily's eyes were full of tears.

"W-what are you doing in here?" The younger girl asked.

"The door was locked."

"Can you please just give me a minute alone? I mean, it's pretty obvious you didn't want to be here." Emily fired at her suddenly. Jaiden was used to the pushing away that occurred before an anxiety attack, considering all the experience she had with them. Leaning back against the door, Jaiden crossed her arms and tried to ignore how aware she was of the small space they were in.

"I didn't even know where they were taking me. That doesn't mean I didn't want to see you."

"Well, did you?" Emily whimpered. Her eyes were watering and she bit back the tears that threatened to spill over. Jaiden sighed.

"Listen," she began. "You..you know I like you, and all. But getting too close to someone was half of why I ended up in treatment."

"So, you think you're going to get too close to me and I'm going to hurt you like Stacie did?" Jaiden had nearly forgotten she had told Emily exactly what had happened with her previous relationship. Caught off guard, she was at a loss for words and struggled to find something to respond with. "I'm not." Emily assured her. The brunette stepped closer to her tentatively and rested her hands on Jaiden's shoulder. She could feel how tense she became under her touch and almost pulled back instinctively. But Jaiden finally seemed to break out of her stupor and despite the voice screaming in the back of her head, her hands found their way to Emily's waist and she kissed her.

 _ **Boom. Let me know what you think/what you'd like to see. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Jaiden pulled back after a few seconds, panicking and completely embarrassed. With her face burning red and nerves so bad she felt nauseous, the teenager fumbled with the door lock behind her, only to be stopped by a par of shaking hands. Emily was looking at her with wide eyes, but she hadn't backed away an inch after they had parted.

"I'm so sorry; I shouldn't have done that." Jaiden started off apologetically.

"No," Emily mumbled. "Do it again."

"What?"

"Please?" Jaiden hesitated, having been caught off guard by the request. The hands gripping hers tightened and against her better judgement, she leaned in and pressed her lips to Emily's again. More prepared this time, the younger girl tilted her head to the side and kissed her back tentatively. She released Jaiden's hands and used hers to lean them both back against the stall door. Jaiden shivered; whether it was from the cool metal on her back or Emily's lips on her's-she wasn't sure. The 17 year old was slowly growing a little more confident when the sound of the main door opening scared the hell out of both of them. The two girls separated as far as the stall would allow them and Jaiden cringed when she heard Beca's voice.

"Jaiden? Emily? Uh, are you guys okay?"

Jaiden gritted her teeth at her sister's poor timing as she unlocked the stall. Attempting to look like nothing had happened, she stepped out smoothly and brushed past the older girl on her way out.

"Yeah, we're fine." Emily confirmed. She ducked her head down as she moved past Beca and worked to catch up with Jaiden. Chloe remained waiting at the table, where three plates of food had just been set. Jaiden and Emily didn't so much as glance at one another until they had slid back into their booth.

* * *

After what was probably the tensest meal ever eaten in the diner, Emily eventually caught sight of her mother's Honda parked outside. She excused herself politely, having calmed down a bit, and gave Jaiden one last lingering glance before exiting the restaurant. Since they had already paid the bill, Jaiden stood up soon after and began out to their own car.

"Jaiden?" Beca called out from behind her cautiously. She and her girlfriend were following the younger girl closely, worried about how she would act now that they were out of the restaurant and away from Emily.

"Don't," The younger girl warned. She slid into the backseat quickly and shoved her headphones back in, knowing that the other two wouldn't test her. At least until they were all trapped in the apartment together. By the time they got back to the complex, Jaiden was ready to jump out and get up to her room as fast as she could. She knew she was dangerously close to losing her composure and if Beca or Chloe pushed, she was going lose it.

"Here-" Chloe couldn't even finish her sentence before Jaiden had gotten out of the backseat and started into the building. She and Beca turned to look at each other; regret written on both of their faces.

"She's pissed." Beca noted obviously.

"You think?" Chloe replied. "What even went on in that bathroom? Were they fighting or something?"

"I don't even know. They were both in a stall together-"

"Woah, what?" Chloe interrupted. "Were they doing something?"

"I don't know. I couldn't tell if they were just upset and talking or making out or what." Beca admitted. "It wasn't right of us to just throw her into a stressful situation like that."

"We're all going to have to talk about it. Hiding in the car won't change that. Come on," Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the vehicle; trusting Beca to follow her. Of course, the brunette did.

By the time they got up into their apartment, Jaiden was already locked away in her room. Unfortunately, she hadn't let her cat in first, and Bailey was sitting outside the shut door, mewing pathetically. Beca, overwhelmed by her own guilt, shot a desperate glance at her girlfriend and the older girl understood immediately.

"I'll talk to her," Chloe assured her. The redhead walked down the hall and scooped up the kitten before knocking on the door gently. She waited a few seconds politely before letting herself in without a response.

"Hey, there was a distressed little kitty outside your door," Chloe smiled gently. Jaiden had already curled up in bed and she patted a spot beside her. Chloe knew it was for the cat, but she played dumb and sat down beside her anyways; much to Jaiden's irritation.

"Are things okay with you and your friend?" She asked.

"I don't know." The 18 year old mumbled. "They're weird."

"She was really excited about seeing you though. You know that, right?"

"Well, yeah. I just…I don't know."

"Jaiden, I think you like her." Chloe said softly. The younger girl sighed and began to pet the kitten in her arms.

"I know," She paused. "I kissed her. And then she asked me to kiss her again."

"So then she likes you too?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if I like her or if I just miss Stacie too fucking much." Jaiden's voice rose in pitch and she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Mascara smeared on her eyelids and added to her exhausted look.

"Seeing her the other day wasn't easy on you, was it?" Chloe prompted. Jaiden shook her head and sighed shakily; obviously shaken by even mentioning her ex-girlfriend.

"I want to give her another chance, but I'm scared she doesn't love me. And no one's ever going to love me enough to keep staying." Suddenly, Jaiden was weak. Probably the most vulnerable she had ever let herself be in front of the older girl. Chloe's blue eyes filled with concern and she put a hesitant hand on Jaiden's shoulder.

"You know your sister and I love you to death, Jay. And I know you never believe me when I say this, but Stacie cheating wasn't about you. It was about her."

"But if she had loved me enough, she wouldn't have done it. She just wouldn't have. I couldn't have done it to her." Jaiden shook her head. "I loved her more than she loved me."

"We hurt the people we love sometimes. It's part of being human and it doesn't mean we don't love them. Sometimes it just means that two people aren't right for each other." Chloe explained. Jaiden remained quiet this time; petting Bailey distractedly as the kitten snuggled up next to her. "Well, for what it's worth; I think you should give her a chance. I think you two have something…deeper; going through treatment together like that."

"I'm going to take a nap." Jaiden announced finally. Apparently done with their talk, she rolled over and pulled her comforter up around her shoulders. Chloe took the obvious hint and got up; satisfied with the fact she had at least got _something_ out of the younger girl. Beca had been waiting anxiously outside the door for her to emerge, and Chloe offered a small, comforting smile.

"She's okay. She's not really mad at you. She's just a little scared of the whole situation." Chloe explained. She took Beca's hand and pulled the stressed brunette towards their room. Sometimes, when Beca needed to relax, she had to take things into her own hands.

"I shouldn't have pushed her." Beca mumbled.

"Babe, you need to relax." Chloe groaned. The redhead tugged her into their bedroom and shut the door behind them. "Let me give you a backrub."

"Not right now," Beca waved her off.

"No, right now. She's taking a nap and you need to relax." Chloe pushed her down onto their bed stubbornly and grinned when Beca rolled onto her stomach in defeat. "Don't be dumb; take off your shirt."

"Take it off for me." Beca rolled back over and arched an eyebrow up at her girlfriend. The redhead did as she was told; slowly pulling the buttons on her shirt apart. Beca propped herself up enough to shrug out of the garment and then rolled back over onto her front. Chloe took her spot; straddling the younger girl's lower back and started kneading Beca's tense shoulders. The brunette couldn't help but groan as some of the knots began to release.

"Feeling better yet?" Chloe purred. She loved the feeling of Beca's warm skin against her hands almost as much as Beca loved the occasional massages.

"I always do." Beca's lips curled into a smile and she sighed contently. "But I'd feel better if you were kissing me." Chloe raised herself up to let the smaller girl roll over and blushed at the sight of Beca; shirtless and smirking below her.

"I love you." Chloe reminded her.

"I love you back." Beca replied.

 _ **Not as angsty as I planned it, but I liked how this one turned out. Let me know what you think/would like to see. Don't forget to review!**_


	8. Chapter 8

Dr. Wilson had been more than a little curious about how Emily had been handling her sudden freedom. And though the doctor hated to admit it to herself; she really wanted to know if she had Jaiden had been reunited yet. It wasn't uncommon for her to see two patients bond while in treatment. What was a little unique was how different their conditions had been. For two girls dealing with incredibly different problems, they had apparently still found enough in common with one another.

"Dr. Wilson?" There was a light knock on the door and a nurse stuck her head into the room. "Ms. Junk is here if you're ready to begin."

"Of course. Send her right in." The young woman nodded. A few seconds later, the familiar 17 year old stepped timidly into her office and sat down across the desk from her. Dr. Wilson took a few seconds to analyze the teenager's appearance before she opened to a new page in her notebook.

"So, how've the past few days been?"

"Fine. Good." Emily responded. She wrung her hands together; a signature sign that she was holding something back. Dr. Wilson leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"Have your parents been doing the body checks I recommended?" Emily cringed in discomfort, but nodded. "And have they found anything?"

"No. Don't you think they would have called you?"

"Whoa there, no need to be so defensive." Dr. Wilson arched an eyebrow. Something was definitely up with her patient. "Have you been taking your meds?"

"Yeah. Sorry." Emily looked down, a little embarrassed by how she had snapped, and continued to fiddle with her hands.

"That's alright. You don't have to apologize for everything." The psychiatrist told her kindly. "But I would like it if you'd tell me what seems to have you so on edge."

"I saw Jaiden yesterday." The brunette admitted. Dr. Wilson's eyes widened a bit as she waited for her to go on. "And something happened."

"What was it?"

"We…we kissed. _Please_ don't tell my parents." Emily blurted out. Her therapist was silent for a few seconds as she took in the situation. Finally, Dr. Wilson scribbled something down and then closed her notebook.

"I'm not going to tell your parents. You know we have a certain level of confidentiality." Dr. Wilson assured her. "Have you ever really considered what your sexuality might be?"

"Well, I always assumed I was straight." The 17 year old shrugged. "But it just sort of happened…and she started to freak out afterwards but I, um, I asked her to do it again."

"Are you two considering a relationship?"

"I don't know. We haven't even talked about it. She seemed really freaked out yesterday." Emily shook her head worriedly. She had been trying to build up the nerve to text Jaiden since the previous night, but her nerves had gotten the best of her.

"Well, I do think you should really discuss it. But I also want you to be careful here, Emily. A friendship is one thing, but a relationship could cause…it could cause a bit of emotional distress if things don't work out." Dr. Wilson warned. Her patient nodded with an expression that hinted to the idea that she had already considered that possibility.

"Can we talk about something else?" Emily requested quietly. Accepting the signal that her patient wanted to move on, Dr. Wilson nodded and started down her list of usual topics.

* * *

Jaiden woke up even more on edge than usual. The 18 year old had been plagued with restless sleep all night and when she glanced in the mirror that morning, the dark circles under her eyes showed it. In desperate need of caffeine, Jaiden shuffled out to the kitchen and sighed in relief when she realized that no one was in it. The brunette fixed herself a mug of coffee and sat down at the counter, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She didn't even notice her phone had vibrated until it reminded her for the third time. When she pulled it out of her sweatpants' pocket, she saw it was a text from Emily.

 _Hey_

Jaiden hesitated a few seconds before tiredly typing back a quick " _hi"._ It took less than a minute for Emily to reply.

 _What're you up to today?_

Not in the mood for any sort of contact, let alone small talk, Jaiden begrudgingly tapped at the screen. As irate as she was, she couldn't help but picture the watery look Emily had when she got worried or overanalyzed.

 _Nothing. Pretty tired. You?_

Jaiden finished her coffee before she forced herself to pick up the phone again. Unsurprised to find two messages waiting, she unlocked the iPhone and checked them.

 _I just got out of a session. Do you maybe want to hang out?_

 _I mean only if you want to. Sorry if I'm annoying you._

Jaiden debated a few seconds as she stared at the small grey chat bubbles. If she declined or didn't reply, Emily was definitely going to blame herself. On the other hand, getting dressed sounded like too much work and driving somewhere was just out of the question. Finally, the 18 year old made a compromise with herself.

 _You're not. You can come over if you want. Netflix and chill._

Satisfied, Jaiden locked the phone again and got back up. The teen made herself another mug of coffee before walking into the living room, where she found her sister and Chloe curled up on the couch.

"Can Emily come over today?" Her sudden appearance apparently startled the older couple, because they both jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Jesus," Beca put a hand to her chest, feeling her pounding heart. "You scared the shit out of me. But yeah, sure, that's cool. When's she coming over?"

"Sorry. I don't know though. I just wanted to make sure it was okay." Jaiden yawned upon finishing her sentence and turning back around. She walked back out to the kitchen and sipped at the coffee mug in her hand. The brunette checked her phone again and saw that her former roommate had replied not even a minute after her offer.

 _Are you sure you don't mind? I mean, I'd love to hang out but I don't want to be a bother._ Jaiden rolled her eyes at the obvious insecurity and held back biting sarcasm and she texted back.

 _It's completely fine. Just come over whenever. We're in the apartment building on Freeport Street, suite 405._

* * *

Mrs. Mitchell had been had been snooping around Barden for a while now. The middle aged woman had started out staying in the town motel, but eventually her funds began to dwindle and keeping up her supply of booze became more important than sleeping in a bed. So, she began to spend the nights in her beaten up car. On the odd occasion she had a dream, she often found herself sitting across a table from her daughters, listening to them talk about her late husband. She would wake up angry and unable to comprehend the fact that her girls hadn't even said those things.

"Maybe today," The middle aged woman mumbled to herself as she revved the engine. She had slept until around 11 on this particular day, and had eventually gotten back into the driver's seat in order to start her search once again. All she wanted to find was the familiar sight of her youngest daughter's car. Then she could begin to plan her course of action. She needed to know where they were.

Mrs. Mitchell drove around for maybe 45 minutes before she finally spotted something. A tall girl was walking down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street and her long, dark hair looked incredibly familiar. She pressed on the gas pedal a little harder, wanting to see the figure's face. Still drunk from the previous night, she was having trouble telling whether it was her younger daughter or not. As she drew closer, Mrs. Mitchell huffed in frustration; it wasn't her. Though around the same age and build, the girl definitely wasn't Jaiden. Nevertheless, she watched as the stranger headed into a tall building and the practically slammed on the brakes. Her daughter's car was outside that building. She had found them.

Now she just needed a plan.

 _ **Dun dun dun. Let me know what you'd like to see between Jaiden/Emily and Beca/Chloe in the next chapter. Suggestions for Mrs. Mitchell are also welcome (;.**_


	9. Chapter 9

Emily felt her stomach twist as she finally made it up to Jaiden's suite. Although she had tried to reassure herself that she wasn't being a bother, she didn't really hang out with friends too often. She actually didn't have a lot of friends, considering she was finishing high school online. Emily struggled to remember the last time she had hung out at somebody's home as she knocked on the apartment door.

The 17 year old jumped subtly as the door opened and she came face to face with Jaiden. She had tried her best not to think of what had transpired between them, despite Dr. Wilson's advice.

"Are you going to come in or just hang out in the hallway?" Jaiden asked finally, breaking Emily out of her thoughts. The younger girl blushed and brushed past her and into the apartment.

"You know that was a joke, right?" Jaiden reminded her. She shut the door and attempted to soften the brazen disposition she had acquired upon waking up.

"I know." Emily nodded.

"Well…I don't really have a lot planned. I kicked my sister and her girlfriend out of the living room though, so…" Jaiden let her voice trail off as she nodded towards the hallway. Following her lead, Emily walked down the small corridor and into the cozy apartment's living room. The small fireplace crackled in the space under where the TV hung; something Jaiden had done just a few minutes before her "guest" had arrived.

"This is a really nice place." Emily spoke up suddenly. Jaiden looked around and shrugged before collapsing back onto the couch. She stared at the other girl expectantly; waiting for her to follow her lead. After a few seconds, Emily hesitantly perched on the sofa and glanced around anxiously.

"We lived together for weeks, Em. Chill out. It's just me." Jaiden's words came out in the soft tone she used during 3 am anxiety attacks in the hospital.

"Okay." The other girl replied softly. Jaiden watched as she visibly relaxed a bit and then turned her attention to the TV. Desperate for some background noise, Jaiden turned it on and clicked one of the first titles that popped up in the Netflix app. "Wow. You weren't kidding about Netflix and chill." Emily noted.

"I never joke about Netflix." Jaiden smirked. "So, how're things at home? Are you getting along with your parents?" Emily shifted uncomfortably at the question.

"Sort of. Things are just really tense. I," Emily shook her head. "I think they're just disgusted with me." She admitted.

"Well, on the bright side, they don't hate you as much as mine hate me." Jaiden smiled wryly. A few seconds of silence rested between the two of them as Emily tried to read into what she had just said. Jaiden had been relatively open in therapy; except when it came to anything that had to do with her parents.

"What do you mean?" Emily ventured finally. Her former roommate glanced down at her lap and bit her bottom lip; regretting even opening her mouth. Dr. Wilson had fought tooth and nail to get the truth out of her and Emily was barely asking. Someone it was easier that way.

"Well, I don't talk to my dad," Jaiden started out. Her words were cautious and she forced herself to go on when Emily nodded in encouragement. "My mother got custody when they got divorced. Beca and I were both still kids. But then my mom got remarried and Ted," Jaiden's breath hitched in her throat as she spoke his name. Emily's eyes glistened in concern and she put her hand on Jaiden's knee without thinking. To her surprise, the older girl didn't pull away. "He hated me. And…he was really abusive." She admitted finally. Much to her own dismay and embarrassment; tears began to well in her eyes and she wiped at them the second they spilled over.

"I'm so sorry. I don't…I don't know why anyone would want to hurt you." Jaiden forced herself to look over when Emily spoke and found a pair of sincere brown eyes waiting for her.

"He came back a few months ago. Beca saved both of our lives. I was really, really terrible to her for a long time, because I was mad she couldn't protect me. He almost killed both of us." She explained. Shame dripped from her words and she returned her watery gaze to the fireplace in front of them.

"He's in jail or something now though, right?"

"He's dead." Jaiden whispered. The weight of the two words rested in her chest after she spoke them and the teenager couldn't help but hear the loud blast that had rung in her ears after Beca had pulled the trigger. And then the silence.

"I don't know what to say. I always wondered why you seem so defensive, but it makes sense now. Anyone would be."

"Doesn't excuse everything." Jaiden mumbled. "I'm sorry for kissing you. It was uncalled for."

"Please, don't apologize for that." Emily shook her head, which took the other girl completely off guard. "I've been thinking about it a lot actually. It was good."

"Good?"

"I mean, I liked it. It felt right. At least, I think it did. It was kind of my first time."

" _What?_ " Jaiden's face paled. "I seriously…I'm so sorry. Your first kiss should _not_ have come from me in a bathroom."

"It's okay, really. You…you're a good kisser."

"Emily, please don't. You know I want to be friends with you, and you know I care about you a lot but-"

"You can't be scared of everyone because of Stacie." Emily cut her off so suddenly that Jaiden was actually impressed. The brunette was the last person she'd ever expect to interrupt somebody.

"I'm not. You're just…you seem fragile, Emily. I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to get hurt." Jaiden murmured. The hand that had previously rested on her leg returned and Jaiden couldn't help but tense a little.

"I promise, I won't." Emily had apparently leaned in, because her voice seemed much closer and Jaiden could practically feel the tremor in it. "I just…I think I have feelings for you."

"Em," Jaiden finally looked back over at her. Emily's face was a lot closer than she had expected and it took her off guard.

"Please just kiss me." Her hand squeezed Jaiden's leg and the 18 year old clenched her eyes shut in an attempt to find any sort of self-control. She couldn't.

"Okay." Jaiden murmured. She closed the distance between the two of them and pressed her lips against the younger girl's. Her heart pounded in her chest and she was about to pull away, but Emily's hand on the side of her cheek reassured her. Though she was slightly terrified, Emily's sudden bout of confidence helped her keep a shaky hold on herself.

"Hey, do you guys want any- _oh my God!_ " Emily and Jaiden jumped back from each other at the sudden entrance of a very shocked redhead. Both of their faces matched Chloe's hair as they shot to opposite sides of the couch.

"Sorry!" The intruder grinned nervously. "I'll leave you guys alone. Have fun. But not too much fun." Somehow the little wink made everything a thousand times worse and Jaiden groaned internally. When Chloe finally left, the two teenagers looked at each other sheepishly.

"Maybe we should get to the 'Netflix' part." Jaiden suggested lightly. To her relief, Emily laughed a little and seemed to relax. The two eventually moved near each other again and settled into a comfortable silence.

 _ **Hope you guys like this little blurb I decided to write up! More stuff on the way! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**_


	10. Chapter 10

"Do you want to listen to some music?" Jaiden hadn't been able to focus on whatever was playing on the TV in front of them since she and Emily had settled next to each other. She wanted to talk. For once in her guarded life, she found herself with an urge to speak to the person next to her. Emily looked over at her in surprise, but nodded.

"Yeah. I actually listened to a really good album the other day, if you'd want to hear it." The younger girl sat up and pulled out her phone. Jaiden watched her thumbs tap away at the screen, searching for whatever record she had found before, and then a light synthesizer beat began to fill the room. Jaiden turned the TV off and leaned back against the cushions behind them; listening.

"Who is this?" She asked after a few seconds.

"Her stage name is Halsey. The whole album is amazing," Emily paused to shake her head, almost in disbelief. "Like I never love every song on an album, but I do on this one."

"I see why. She's good. Does she write all her own stuff?"

"I think so. You should hear Drive. I know it's weird, but it actually really calmed me down the other day." Emily admitted. Jaiden couldn't help but notice goosebumps rise up over her arms and she found herself shivering when she realized how chilly it was.

"Do you want to move over by the fire? It's kind of cold in here." Jaiden suggested. She knew the younger girl well enough to know that she wasn't quite brave enough yet to request things. Emily was practically obsessed with making sure she wasn't being a bother to anyone. So it wasn't surprising to see the gratefulness in her eyes as she nodded and they scooted off the couch and onto the floor.

"So, what are your plans now that you're out?" Prompting conversations was another thing that Emily feared, so Jaiden took the lead once again.

"Um, I don't know. I get my GED this week since I've pretty much done nothing but take my classes."

"You planning on going to college?"

"Probably just Barden. I don't think my parents would let me go anywhere else." Emily shrugged.

"They seem kind of controlling," Jaiden noted. "Like I'm kind of surprised they let you come here."

"Me too. I guess Dr. Wilson told them I needed to make friends or something."

"Is that what we are? Friends?" Jaiden asked curiously. She was genuinely curious as to the other girls opinion on whatever had been transpiring between them. Emily's face reddened and she turned her gaze to the flames that warmed the air around them.

"I don't know. I don't know what you want us to be."

"Well, what do you want?" Emily visibly squirmed at her words and her mind started to whir with panic. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know the right answer, and if she lied and said she didn't want some sort of relationship from Jaiden, she was going to have to risk hurting the older girl. But if she told the truth, she might seem clingy and needy and annoying and just the mere thought of coming across that way made her feel sick.

"Emily, it's okay. I just need to know what you're thinking." Jaiden interrupted her thoughts and tilted her head to the side. The song on Emily's phone faded and switched to a different one as she waited for a reply.

"You calm me down," the 17 year old finally whispered. "You calm me down, and not a lot of people can really do that. I like being around you and it didn't feel right in our room after you left. I don't want to freak you out or anything but I think I really like you." She rambled. Emily's hands practically shook as her eyes jumped from anything and everything except for Jaiden.

"Okay," Jaiden moved closer to her. "Then let me calm you down." The request came out as more of a question of permission. When Emily managed to tip her head down in the tiniest nod, Jaiden took it as a yes and she leaned in. The younger girl's breath gusted across her lips in the few seconds before they kissed and she was surprised when Emily's hands gripped her hips. Though still a bit unsure of herself, Emily's lips moved against her's smoothly and she found herself being pushed back gently. She complied enough to let the 17 year old rest on top of her. The heat of the fireplace gusted against the left side of her body as she draped her arms around Emily's neck.

"I'm not crushing you, right?" Emily pulled back just enough to utter the worried question. Jaiden opened her eyes up into ignited brown ones and she shook her head immediately. Reassured, Emily kissed her again; a little braver this time. Her hands rested against the floor on either side of Jaiden and Jaiden's found their way to the younger girl's waist. For someone who had never kissed anyone else before, Emily was learning fast. Nevertheless, Jaiden rolled them both over so that she was on top. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she couldn't help but think about Stacie pinning her down when Emily hovered over her.

"Do you want to stop?" The 18 year old panted out after they had changed positioned. Emily shook her head and then gasped as Jaiden attached her lips to her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as she got used to the new sensation and gripped the back of Jaiden's sweatshirt.

"Oh my God, please, don't stop." The desperation in Emily's voice sent a burst of warmth through the other girl that she had not felt for some time. With it, the last traces of Stacie slipped away from her mind and she focused solely on working her way down to Emily's collarbone.

"I won't." Jaiden's voice vibrated against Emily's skin and her fists tightened even more around the fabric of her sweatshirt. Not wanting to get too ahead of herself; Jaiden moved back up and kissed the 17 year old on the lips again.

* * *

"Beca, come here." The tiny brunette stifled a yelp of surprise as her girlfriend grabbed her waist from behind.

"Jesus Christ babe, what?" She demanded. Chloe was grinning far too excitedly for Beca's taste and she frowned as the redhead practically drug her down the hallway.

"Shhh," Chloe shushed Beca, who frowned at the fact that she hadn't said anything anyways. The two tiptoed down the hallways and she peaked over Chloe's shoulder as they stopped in the living room doorway. Her eyes widened as she spotted her younger sister making out with their "guest" on the floor in front of the fireplace. Beca's face burned up almost immediately and she tugged Chloe back down the hallway. Once they were a safe distance away, Beca scoffed in disbelief and frowned up at the redhead.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you showing me that? And more importantly; why are you spying on them?"

"I just wanted to make sure they were doing alright!" Chloe defended herself. "And they're so cute together."

"How much have you been watching them?!"

"Not that much! Just enough to be a protective older sister's girlfriend!"

"As cute as the notion is, please don't freak her out." Beca's voice lowered in volume and she squeezed Chloe's hand.

"I won't. They didn't even know I was there. Trust me." Chloe assured her. For good measure, the redhead leaned down and pecked her on the cheek. "Oh yeah, and I picked up a refill for your Zoloft. I figured you should probably start taking it again."

"Oh," Beca shifted uncomfortably. "Thanks."

"Becs, what?" Chloe tilted her head to the side and her blue eyes filled with concern.

"Nothing."

"You got all weird." Chloe deadpanned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I just don't really think I need to take it."

"Do you want to wait until something happens that makes you want it?"

"I'm not some fragile child that you need to-"

"Whoa," Chloe cut her off and pulled her the short distance into their bedroom. "What's going on? You know that's not what I was saying. I just don't want things to get bad for you again."

"You don't have to take care of me!" Beca seethed.

"Yes, I do. And you have to take care of me because _we're in a relationship._ That's what we do." Chloe reminded her. Beca's defensive disposition softened and she uncrossed her arms sheepishly.

"I'm sorry." She muttered. Chloe rubbed her arms comfortingly and let a small smile play at the corner of her lips.

"It's okay. Just don't try to shut me out. I'm far too pushy." Chloe grinned.

* * *

"I should really get going." Emily sighed. Jaiden glanced down at the younger girl, whose head was resting on her shoulder and she glanced at the clock on the wall for the first time in a while.

"I guess so. Do you want me to drive you home?" She offered reluctantly. They both sat up, feeling the chill of the room away from the fireplace, and stretched. They had been comfortably enjoying each other's company for a few hours, the sun had finally set without them realizing it. And Jaiden would be damned if she was going to let the 17 year old walk home in the dark by herself.

"That'd be really great." Emily nodded gratefully and allowed her to help her up to her feet. They started down the hallway and Jaiden snagged her keys from the hook on the door as they both slipped their shoes on.

"I'm taking Emily home! Back in 15!" Jaiden called out to wherever her sister and/or Chloe had disappeared to.

"Okay!" The brunette yelled back from the direction of the master bedroom. Permission granted, Jaiden opened the door for the other girl and began to escort her out.

* * *

Mrs. Mitchell had been drifting in and out of a booze induced slumber for the past few hours; waiting to catch a glimpse of one of her daughters. She just had to be sure that they were in there before she put her mind through any more plotting. The middle aged woman took another bite out of her $1 hamburger and narrowed her blurry vision as the front doors to the apartment complex opened. The same girl that had led her there walked out, followed closely by another brunette. A strange mixture of guilt, anger, and resentment filled her chest as she vaguely recognized her youngest daughter and noticed that she was holding hands with the other girl. Obviously she felt no remorse for the actions that had caused Ted's incidents. Satisfied that she knew exactly where to find the girls when the time came, Mrs. Mitchell started her car and drove off.

 _ **Tried to give this chapter a pretty even spread of fluff, drama, and a little Bechloe. Let me know what you'd like to see next and don't forget to review!**_


	11. Chapter 11

The drive back to her own apartment was a lot lonelier than when Emily had ridden in the car with her for Jaiden. The 18 year old drummed on the steering wheel as she drove through the empty streets. Her mind was buzzing with the events of the day and every time she thought about the younger girl's lips on her own, heat made its way up to her face. Jaiden was entirely too distracted by her own thoughts to notice the green truck parked in the space next to her. The brunette had just made it onto the sidewalk when an all too familiar voice sent chills up her spine.

"Jaiden." She whirled around and the sight of her mother confirmed the fear that was quickly flooding her veins. The smell of alcohol hit her a few seconds later and that was enough to spark her flight response. Jaiden spun back around and started sprinting towards the doors; nearly tripping over her own feet.

"Beca!" Jaiden yelled desperately as she entered the stairwell. Her voice echoed through it loudly, along with the sounds of her shoes hitting the concrete steps. She propelled herself up as fast as she possibly could and whimpered as she heard the door at the bottom swing open and then slam shut. "Beca!" She shouted again. Jaiden shoved the door to the second floor open and ran down the hallway towards 405. She screamed her sister's name and slammed her fists against the door desperately. She couldn't even think to fish her keys out of her pocket. The door to the stairwell squeaked at the end of the hall and tears welled in her eyes as she began to panic more. Suddenly, the wooden barrier in front of her fell back and was replaced by a very concerned Chloe. Jaiden practically threw herself into the redhead's arms and kicked the door shut behind them.

"Jaiden, what's wrong?" Chloe asked as she rubbed the younger girl's back. Beca's footsteps sounded down the hall as she hurried towards the sound of all the commotion.

"M-my mom's out there." Jaiden stammered out. "She followed me up from the parking lot."

" _What_?" Beca demanded. Jaiden lifted her head from Chloe's shoulder and the look on her face was enough to support her story. "You two stay in here. I'll take care of it."

"Beca, no." Just then, a knock at the door kept Jaiden from saying anything else. She shook her head, but allowed Chloe to pull her away from the doorway regardless. The redhead kept a firm hold on the teenager as she nervously watched her girlfriend open the door and step out into the hallway.

Mrs. Mitchell was quite out of breath by the time the door opened and her eldest daughter stepped out. Her hand tightened on the small knife she was concealing and her blurred vision narrowed on Rebecca.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing here?" She demanded. Disrespect rolled off of her tongue and Mrs. Mitchell bristled at the sound of her voice. The little bitch had no remorse.

"Getting justice for my _husband."_ On the last word, Mrs. Mitchell plunged the small blade into her daughter's stomach and watched a look of shock and pain replace her angry features. Running on alcohol and adrenaline, she pulled the weapon out and stabbed Beca again right below the initial wound.

"You got what you deserved." The woman pushed her daughter off of her knife and let her fall to the floor before turning around and staggering briskly towards the stairwell again.

" _Chloe!_ " Beca shouted in agony. Her hands clutched the spurting cuts on torso and she clenched her teeth as the slightest movement sent pain rippling through her.

* * *

Jaiden was seeing red. Partly from her sister's blood spilling onto the carpet and partly from the surprising anger that was flushing her system. She was tired of seeing the people around her getting hurt. She was tired of being afraid of her own parents. She couldn't live like this anymore.

"I'm going to fucking kill her." The 18 year old whispered to herself. Chloe looked up from where she was trying to tend to Beca and stared at her with wide eyes. Before she could even try to stop her, Jaiden was out the door and running towards the stairwell. Her sister's strained voice echoed in her ears and she threw open the entrance to the stairs and began taking them two at a time. She was getting angrier and angrier with every second and when she caught sight of the staggering figure at the ground floor exit, she completely lost control of herself. Almost as if she was on auto-pilot, Jaiden ripped the woman she had once called "Mommy" to the ground and knelt on top of her. Her fists flew down towards the middle aged woman's face with more force than Jaiden knew she was capable of.

* * *

Unaware of how much time had passed, Jaiden broke out of her rage when two strong pairs of arms pulled her off of her mother. The woman laid still; her face beaten and bloody, and Jaiden looked up to see two officers holding her and two paramedics jogging up the stairs with a stretcher. She recognized one of the officers from the night she had been shot. She was looking between her and her mother; pity written all over her face.

"Let's go back upstairs, okay?" The woman suggested carefully. Jaiden allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and the trio started up the stairs together. The teenager's heart was still pounding in her chest by the time they reached her floor and entered the hallway. Jaiden was finally able to focus at the sight of her sister being loaded onto the gurney. The two officers escorting her let go of her arms as she hurried over and met a crying Chloe. The redhead took one look at her bruising and bloody hands and then gasped.

"W-what did you do?" She stammered out.

"I don't know." Jaiden's voice had a dead tone to it as she looked around. Her eyes finally landed on Beca and she was surprised to see her sister was awake and answering the paramedic's questioned. "Is she going to be okay?" Jaiden put a hand on one of the paramedics arms and he looked down at her injuries in surprise.

"She'll be fine. You're going to need to come with us to get a look at your hands though."

"What's wrong with her hands?" Beca tried to sit up and get a good look, and then winced in pain. "Jaiden, what happened?" The 18 year old didn't answer, and instead stepped back to her previous spot beside Chloe.

"I'm fine. Just take care of her." Jaiden flexed her red stained hands painfully and gave a curt nod at the paramedics. "We'll meet you at the hospital, okay?" Beca didn't look certain about it, but she was really in no condition to argue. Chloe put a hand on Jaiden's shoulder as they watched the paramedics wheel Beca in the direction of the elevator. Once the metal doors slid close behind them, Chloe squeezed the younger girl's shoulder and pulled her into the apartment.

"Let's get you cleaned up and then we'll go." She said gently. Jaiden averted her eyes to the floor and nodded slightly.

 _ **Sorry for the wait. Running low on inspiration.**_


	12. Chapter 12

"Jaiden; you have to tell me what happened." Chloe murmured as she dabbed at Jaiden's beaten hands with a wet washcloth. The 18 year old's eyes flickered around the room anxiously, only landing on Chloe for a split second at a time. "Please?" The older woman coaxed.

"I don't know what happened." Jaiden's voice was just barely above a whisper. "I lost control. I was just…just so tired of being scared of her and I'm tired of them hurting us-" Her words broke off in a choked sob and she gritted her teeth at the feeling of the cold cloth on her skinned knuckles. Chloe lightened her touch, but continued to hold Jaiden's hands in place until all of the blood was off of them. Before grabbing the roll of gauze to wrap them, she put her hands on either side of Jaiden, who was sitting on the counter, and locked her gaze onto the teenager.

"I'm proud of you, okay? And I know Beca will be too. You might…you might feel bad about what you did, but you shouldn't. You were just protecting your family, okay? Your real family." Chloe tilted Jaiden's chin up and made her make eye contact. "Are you hearing me?"

"Yeah," Jaiden confirmed softly. She fell back into silence and watched Chloe dab a stinging antiseptic onto her shallow wounds. The redhead bit the inside of her cheek sympathetically, knowing it probably hurt like hell, and then started to wrap some fresh white gauze around her hands. Chloe took her time, knowing that they wouldn't be allowed to see Beca right away anyhow, and flexed each one of the brunette's fingers to be sure that they weren't broken. Jaiden was obviously in pain, but she could at least move them.

"Ready to go?" Chloe put the first aid kit back under the sink and wiped her hands off on a dish towel. Jaiden, who was still obviously shaken at what she had managed to do, gingerly got down off of the counter and nodded. "Come on, then. We'll grab some coffee on the way."

* * *

"I wanna see my girlfriend and my sister. Is she okay? My sister, I mean." Beca blinked through hazy vision and looked around the brightly lit room. Doped up on painkillers, she had been rambling at the doctor during her sutures since he had started.

"As soon as I'm finished, I promise I will go out and find them. But for right now, you need to stay still."

"I think I'm going to ask Chloe to marry me. And she's my girlfriend, by the way. My sister's name is Jaiden. I wouldn't try to marry my own sister. That'd be screwed up." Beca slurred. "What do you think?"

"Do you love her?" The doctor's voice was patient, if not a little amused. He snipped at a piece of his wire and glanced up at his patient.

"Well, _yeah_. Why else would I want her to be my fiancé?" Beca pronounced the word with a dramatic French accent and rolled her eyes at the seemingly obvious answer. "And she helped me get back in touch with my sister. That was really nice."

"Then maybe the two of you should get married." The physician started on the last of the wounds and then shot a glance at the nurse that said _"Up her morphine dose"._ The woman nodded immediately and pressed a button on the IV drip. Pretty soon, Beca was lulled back to sleep by the strong drug.

* * *

"Hi, we're here to see Beca Mitchell? I'm her sister and this is her girlfriend." Jaiden hid her injured hands behind her back and looked at the nurse behind the desk anxiously. The woman flipped through her log for a few seconds and then nodded.

"A doctor should be in shortly. You two can have a seat."

"No, you don't understand, we have to see her-"

"Come on, it's okay." Chloe put a hand on Jaiden's shoulder and pulled her away from the desk before she could get too worked up. As desperate as she was to see Beca and make sure that she was okay, she knew that she had an obligation to keep Jaiden as calm as she possibly could. "Let's just sit and wait. I'm sure they're almost done."

"What if something went wrong?"

"Jay, you need to calm down. I know you're probably still on an adrenaline rush but it's not going to help Beca if you're all worked up." Chloe reminded her gently. The younger girl nodded sheepishly and took one of the seats in the waiting room. Unable to wring her hands together like she usually did when she was on edge, Jaiden settled for rabidly bouncing her leg up and down until a man clad in scrubs and a white coat stepped into the relatively empty waiting room.

"You two are here for Beca Mitchell?" Jaiden and Chloe nodded simultaneously and stood up from their seats. "She's had her lacerations sutured and she's still relatively woozy from the pain medication we administered, but you're more than welcome to take her home."

"Thank God. Oh my gosh, thank you so much. Is there anything we need to do for her?" Chloe asked the man worriedly.

"Just make sure she isn't active and gets a lot of rest. We'll send home instructions on how to keep her stitches cleaned and some lighter pain medication to keep her comfortable. Your nurse has the discharge papers out at the front desk." He replied patiently. Chloe thanked him once more before taking Jaiden by the arm and leading her back to the registration area. The 18 year old stood quietly next to Chloe as the redhead signed a few forms and made idle, polite chat with the nurse behind the desk. Jaiden was the first to notice the tiny brunette being rolled towards them in a wheel chair. Chloe looked over just in time to see the two sisters lock together in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry." Jaiden's muffled voice vibrated against her sister's neck and she felt Beca's hand rub her back in slow circles.

"Don't. You don't need to say sorry for anything. But what…what happened? The paramedics were worried about your hands-"

"I'm fine," Jaiden cut off her rambling and straightened up from the hug. "Chloe took care of it."

"Chloe, babe," Beca fixed her eyes on Chloe. "I want you to marry me. I want you to be my wife. Forever." Chloe's eyes widened and exchanged a surprised glance with Jaiden.

"Beca, you're a little out of it-"

"I know I'm buzzed from the morphine or whatever, but I know I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and my sister and I just want us to be a family." She slurred. Feeling a little awkward, the nurse that had been pushing her wheelchair excused herself and turned the handles over Chloe.

"I want that too, Becs. But let's just get you home right now." The older girl leaned down to kiss her on the cheek before starting towards the door with her. Jaiden trailed close behind.

 _ **Let me know what you guys think/want to see!**_


	13. Chapter 13

Beca didn't say anything else about proposing the entire way back to the apartment. She mostly drifted in and out of consciousness with her forehead against the window and a light snore every now and then. Chloe glanced at her in the rear view mirror repeatedly, running over what Beca had said. Drunk words were apparently sober thoughts, but what about painkillers? Were those sober thoughts too?

"Do you think she meant what she asked?" Chloe's eyes flickered towards Jaiden and then fixed back on the road after she had asked the question.

"Probably. You know she isn't great at saying what she feels unless she's under the influence." Jaiden replied tiredly. The teenager was slowly coming out of her shock, and straight into what Chloe sensed was another depressive state.

"You aren't that great at it either." Chloe reminded her. "Beca's going to need both of us. You can't go shutting yourself in and pushing us away. Okay?"

"I know. I'm just exhausted right now." She mumbled.

"We all are. Let's just get her to bed as soon as we're home and then we can all sleep this off." Chloe assured her quietly. The two girls fell into silence; each of them far too involved in their own thoughts to feel awkward about it. It stayed that way until they pulled up to the curb outside their apartment and parked.

"Becs? Wake up, we're home." Chloe turned around in her seat and nudged her girlfriend, who was still asleep against the window. The tiny brunette jolted awake and blinked a few times in confusion. "Let's get you up to bed."

Chloe and Jaiden both got out of their seats and circled around the vehicle to Beca's door. Each of them took one of her arms and helped her to get her feet planted firmly on the cement.

"I'm fine," Beca assured them defensively. However, she swayed with every step and Chloe and Jaiden continued to balance her as they made their way into the building. Jaiden avoided even looking at the stairwell when they passed through the lobby. Considering it was 3 am, the elevator doors opened the moment they pressed the "up" button. Beca's eyelids open and shut slowly, and it was incredibly obvious that she was fighting just to stay awake. She leaned against Chloe heavily, and the redhead rubbed her back soothingly until they reached their floor and had to walk again.

"I just wanna go to bed." The injured girl whined. Chloe struggled to pull her keys out of her purse while Jaiden held her sister up enough so that the brunette didn't collapse.

"I know, baby. Come on; let's just get you into bed." Chloe opened the door and resumed helping Beca walk. The three girls stumbled clumsily into the apartment and Beca's feet started to drag as they neared the bedroom. Careful not to jar her too much, Chloe and Jaiden lowered Beca down onto the bed and exchanged glances as the small brunette groaned contently and stretched out as much as her torso would allow.

"Go get some sleep. I'll take care of her." Chloe turned to Jaiden and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before she nodded towards the door.

"Okay, Goodnight." Jaiden sighed tiredly and left the room with a yawn. Though she was exhausted, her mind still buzzed from what had happened. From Beca getting stabbed, to the feeling of her mother's flesh under her knuckles; the past few hours seemed unreal. Jaiden reached into her pocket and fished out her phone on the way to her room. She hesitated for a few seconds before tapping Emily's name and holding the device up to her ear. She'd understand if the younger girl didn't pick up, considering it was 3 AM, but she had to try. She needed talked down.

" _Hello?"_

 _"_ Emily, are you up? Something…something happened."

" _Jaiden? What's going on? Where are you?"_

"I just got home," Jaiden took a deep breath and clenched her fist down by her side. "I"m fine. My mom came back and attacked Beca with a knife and I…I went after her and I hurt her really badly." Finally admitting what had happened to herself, Jaiden's breath trembled between her lips and she shut her bedroom door behind her.

" _What? Jaiden, are you okay? Is Beca going to be alright?"_

"She's okay. We're both home. I don't know what happened to my mom. She wasn't here when we got back."

" _What did you do to her, Jaiden?"_ Emily's voice was tentative and nervous on the other end of the line.

"I don't know. I don't know if I killed her or if the police took her after they came to get me. I don't know anything right now and I'm freaking out."

" _Hey, it's alright. I know things must be hard for you and I wish I could be there with you, but I can't right now. I promise I'll come over first thing in the morning though, okay? Please just try to get some sleep right now though."_ Jaiden nodded and tossed her shirt off. The 18 year old crawled into bed and stared at her dark ceiling with a little more clarity. " _Do you want me to stay on the phone until you fall asleep?"_

"No," Jaiden sighed and rolled over onto her side. "I think I'm alright now. Thanks. Sorry if I woke you up."

" _It's okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."_

"Goodnight." Jaiden waited until the line went dead, then set her phone on the bedside table and pulled her comforter up around her shoulders. Having got the jumble of thoughts into the air and out of her head, her mind was streaming at a much slower pace and she was able to let the fatigue plaguing her take over.

—-

Emily rolled out of bed at 8 in the morning; tired from a restless night of sleep. She had been worried sick about the phone call she had gotten and her anxiety levels had been raised tenfold. Her mind was so focused on all of the possible things that could have gone wrong since she had last spoken to Jaiden that she didn't notice her mother sitting at the kitchen table.

"Emily? Where are you going this early?" The older woman's question pulled her out of her thoughts and Emily froze halfway to the front door.

"I-I'm going over to visit Jaiden."

"You were just there yesterday; you don't need to go over again. Stay home. We've never even met this girl and the fact that she lives in an apartment with no adults-"

"She doesn't." Emily interrupted. "She lives with her older sister and her girlfriend. They're both adults." Her mother's eyes widened.

"Alright, then I definitely don't want you going over there. You know how this family feels about homosexuals. I don't want you hanging around them and getting wrong ideas."

"But, Dr. Wilson _said_ we should-"

"Dr. Wilson is not your mother; I am. She's not in charge of the type of morals you are to grow up with." Mrs. Junk said firmly. She seemed unaware to the speed at which her daughter's heart rate was spiking, and the overwhelming panic in her chest.

"You don't understand. I _need_ to go over there. I'm almost 18 years old-"

"I don't care how old you are, Emily. You're still dependent on your father and I, and as long as you live under this roof, you're going to abide by our rules."

"Then I'll move out!" Emily's voice rose in pitch and volume and she made a bee-line towards the door. Though she had grown accustomed to her daughter's outbursts, Mrs. Junk wasn't quite used to this sort of defiance. She sat in stunned silence as the door slammed shut behind Emily.


	14. Chapter 14

"Jaiden? Hey, um, your…friend," Beca said the word with an uncertain questioning tone to it. "Your friend is out in the living room with Chloe. And, uh, she seems really upset." Jaiden opened her eyes to find Beca sitting on the edge of her bed with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"What?" Jaiden rubbed her eyes and blinked a few bleary times.

"Come on, get up. She's all…crying and stuff." Beca nudged her sister again and tossed her a hoodie from the floor. The 18 year old sat up, a bit more awake now that she was registering what Beca had said, and threw the garment on over her sports bra. The siblings made their way out of the dark bedroom and down the hallway, to where Emily was sitting with Chloe. The redhead was rubbing her back comfortingly until Jaiden rushed around the far side of the couch and sat down next to Emily.

"What's going on?"

"M-my mom." The younger girl stammered. Her breathing was ragged and irregular, so Jaiden looked to Chloe for explanation.

"They got in a fight, and she thinks she can't live at home anymore. I told her she could stay here for a while. That's okay, right babe?" Chloe's eyes lifted to meet Beca's and the brunette nodded, despite her initial surprise. "Great. Jaiden, how about you take Emily to your room and I'll be in after a couple minutes with some coffee."

"Oh," Jaiden stood up and nodded at the suggestion. "Yeah, sure. C'mon." She took Emily by the arm and started leading her down the hallway. The younger girl seemed to be calming down some; and she found Jaiden's touch to be unnaturally comforting to her. So, Emily followed her without much thought and allowed herself to be sat down in the unmade bed in the center of the room.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Jaiden sighed as she sat next to her. Tentatively, she squeezed Emily's shoulder and waited for her to catch her breath.

"You can't get mad," Emily started out worriedly.

"Of course." Jaiden assured her.

"I told my m-mom I was coming over to see you and she started going on about how she wasn't okay with…with me spending a lot of time over here because of your sister and Chloe and we started to fight. And she just started threatening me and telling me that it didn't matter what Dr. Wilson said and that as long as I was under their roof I have to listen to their rules-"

"Hey, calm down. It's alright. She's not going to come over here after you though; right?" Jaiden cut in before Emily could get herself too worked up again.

"I don't know. They might just be glad I'm gone. I take my classes online anyways."

"I just…I don't want them to get all pissed and never allow you to see me again. But as long as you're sure that they'll be fine…" Jaiden let her voice trail off and wrung her hands together worriedly.

"I'm not sure, but they already don't want me to see you. You're the only person I have and if I had to stay at home all the time with them, I know I'd get worse again. They're a big part of the reason I think I have all these problems." Emily blurted out. The fingers on her right hand went immediately to her left wrist; something Jaiden recognized as a sign of distress in the younger girl. Then a thought struck her head that made her wince.

"I understand. And I know you're going to get upset when I say this, but you have to promise that you won't cut while you're here." Emily's eyes widened and she sputtered for something to say in denial, but Jaiden knew better than to apologize. Self-harm was the only thing that completely changed Emily as a person, and the teenager got surprisingly deceptive when it came to relapses and hiding them. Jaiden had learned that after only a few days of living with her. "Promise me. That's all I'm asking for. We don't have to talk about it. I know how you are with that." Jaiden reassured her.

"I promise-" Emily's quiet reply was cut off by Chloe stepping into the room with two steaming mugs and a warm smile.

"Everything going alright?" Chloe set the coffees down on the nightstand and looked between the two of them.

"Yeah. Thanks, Chlo." Jaiden forced a small smile and handed Emily her cup as Chloe left. The long haired girl sipped at the hot coffee and tried to calm the rapid heartbeat in her chest in the few seconds of silence between them.

"I'm really sorry I came here. I just didn't know what to do." Emily apologized.

"It's okay. I'd rather you be here than, you know, somewhere freaking out. At least they didn't take you to the hospital." Jaiden replied. "But, just so you know, my sister is probably going to call Dr. Wilson. Just to let her know the situation. I'm sure she'll be okay with it if she knows anything about your family."

"What if she's not? I'm still 17 for two more weeks." No sooner had Emily spoken that the doorbell rang.

"Stay here." Jaiden got up off of the bed and set her coffee down before heading out of the bedroom. Her pulse sped up at the sound of murmuring voices and she peeked around the corner into the front of the apartment. Emily's mother was standing in the foyer. Chloe was speaking to the woman politely and her eyes found Jaiden's as the teenager approached.

"Hey, could you go grab Emily?" Her voice was a little strained, and Jaiden clenched her fists when she nodded. Just as she turned back around, Emily emerged from the hallway with the timidness of a frightened animal, and she looked between Jaiden and her mother.

"Emily, let's go. We have an appointment." Mrs. Junk motioned for her daughter and then looked at Jaiden; almost testing her. It was only the subtle shake of Chloe's head that kept her from challenging the woman right then and there. Jaiden forced herself to watch as Emily slowly walked out of the apartment and disappeared behind the door her mother closed.

"Fuck." Jaiden murmured. "She's going to lose it." The brunette started towards the door and Chloe moved to intercept her.

"Jaiden, I know this is hard but you can't do anything right now. I'll call Dr. Wilson in a few hours and let her know what happened and she'll take care of it. Don't make it worse."

"She's going to make it worse." Jaiden snapped defensively. "Not me."

"You will if you go out and get worked up in front of her. You're on edge after last night and that's understandable, but get a grip. Calm down." Chloe squeezed her arm tightly and pulled her away from the door. Lowering her voice, she led Jaiden into the kitchen and sat her down on one of the stools by the counter. "Please, just try to keep everything lowkey today. Your sister can't handle any kind of stress right now. I promise that we'll get this figured out. You just have to trust me, okay?"

"Okay." Jaiden muttered. She hopped down off of the bar stool and started back to her room without another word. When she had been woken up and thrown right into a situation, she was able to push the past 24 hours' events to the back of her mind and focus on what was happening. Now she had nothing to distract herself.

Jaiden knew if she stayed in the apartment, the depression was going to take over. There were too many conflicting memories and emotions streaming through her mind to deal with, so she grabbed her keys and hurried back down the hallway.

"I'm going out to get some breakfast. I'll bring some back." She announced as she slipped on her boots. Chloe didn't even have time to protest before she was out the door and booking it towards her car.

—

"Where did she say?" Beca opened one eye groggily and ignored the sharp pains in her stomach as she tried to sit up on the couch. Chloe sat down on the footrest across from her and tried not to look as uneasy as she felt.

—-

Jaiden had never gone out with the intent of getting breakfast. If she was being honest with herself, she really didn't know what she was looking for when she left the apartment building. But as she drove around the all too familiar town, she couldn't help but notice a group of recognizable students sitting on the steps to an older apartment suite. The second time she passed them, she made the decision to pull over and kill her engine.

"Jaiden, girl, what's going on? Haven't seen you around in forever!" Josh, the leader of the High Notes, got up and aimed a clumsy high five as Jaiden approached. She hid the fact that her hand lit up with pain upon making contact and forced a smile.

"Not a lot. I'm in a bit of a dry spell though. Kinda hoping you could help me out with that." Jaiden proposed hopefully.

"Dude, I got you. Here," The drug-rug clad singer slipped a hand into his pocket and shoved a small baggie into Jaiden's hand. "This one's on the house. Just don't tell your sister."

"You're the best. I'll catch you around." Jaiden nodded at the rest of the group and then walked back to her car quickly. The pot in her pocket felt like it was already calling her name, and it dawned on her how long it had been since she had smoked. The brunette started up her car and pulled away from the curb, running through places she could go and hide out for a while, and eventually the idea of the park popped into the mix of options. Deciding it was her best chance for some alone time, Jaiden took a left at the next intersection she came to and turned the heat on.

Less than 15 minutes later, Jaiden had pulled into the park's small lot, grabbed a spare lighter out of the glovebox, and a empty soda can off of the floor of her car. The 18 year old spent a few minutes poking a circle of small holes into the aluminum, using the tip of a pen, and stuffed it into her hoodie pocket. The park was practically empty, considering it was a Tuesday morning, which was perfectly fine by Jaiden.

She walked along the trails for a while before finally finding a spot to sit down and take out her supplies. Her stiff fingers worked slowly to break apart enough weed for decent sized bowl and it was more than a relief to finally spark the lighter and inhale.

Three bowls later; Jaiden was leaning back against a tree with her burnt Coke can and the lighter in her other hand. She was oblivious to the passing of time for a while, and her interest was only pulled away from the leaves falling around her when she felt a nudge at her foot. Red eyes searched for the cause, and Jaiden's foggy mind took a few seconds to recognize the figure at her feet. It wasn't until Stacie spoke that Jaiden really came to.

"Jaiden, what are you doing?"

"Oh," The 18 year old stalled for a few seconds and then shrugged. "I'm high. Hi."

"Does your sister know you're out here? And what happened to your hands?" The taller woman crouched down next to her ex and examined the bandages around her knuckles. The familiar smell of Stacie's perfume hit Jaiden after a moment and her eyes finally focused completely on her.

"Nothing. I'm good. We should go somewhere." Jaiden struggled to her to her feet, and she took Stacie's arm when the older girl stood as well. Surprise painted her features as the girl she had cheated on brushed her fingertips up and down her forearm.

"Oh. Alright."

 **Bet you guys didn't see that coming! Let me know what you'd like to see next chapter! Open to everything ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

"Are you going to tell me what happened to your hands?" Stacie took the set of keys that Jaiden was offering and started the younger girl's car. Jaiden had gotten into the passenger's seat without a word, prompting Stacie to "volunteer" to drive.

"I beat the shit out of my mom last night."

"Jaiden, _what?_ " Stacie stared at her in bewilderment.

"She tried to kill Beca. Stabbed her in the hall outside the apartment. I don't know," Jaiden sighed and pulled off her hoodie, much to Stacie's surprise. "I guess I lost it. Are we going to do this or what?" Sitting in her sports bra; Jaiden wasn't really planning on getting a "no", and Stacie wasn't really one for giving them.

"If you're sure?" The older girl raised an eyebrow uncertainly and then glanced into the backseat.

"Yeah," Jaiden nodded and crawled into the backseat, knowing that Stacie would follow her. The brunette soon rested between her hips and slowly pressed her lips against Jaiden's. A jolt of nervous energy shot through Stacie's stomach at the contact, and she could hardly believe that this was happening. She thought she'd never get to feel Jaiden's lips on hers again.

"Stacie?" She opened her eyes as Jaiden murmured against her and pulled away; afraid that she had done something wrong. "I need you to fuck me. Now." Stacie's jaw dropped a little and despite the nagging voice in the back of her head, she attacked the 18 year old's neck with a pattern of wet kisses and teasing nips. Jaiden wriggled beneath her and began to slide out of her pants; desperate to feel something other than the chaos in her mind. Stacie took the hint and began to tug at her panties.

—

"She's been gone a long time." Beca glanced at the clock on her phone and then over at the door on the far end of the apartment. She had spent the past hour or so trying to focus on a beat she was supposed to be producing, but the painkillers swimming through her veins made it difficult to focus on anything. Her mind jumped from the task in front of her, to the movie on the TV, and then to the potential whereabouts of her sister at least once every few minutes.

"I'm sure the line was just long or something. Let her take her time and clear her head. I'll go out and find her if she's not back soon. You, on the other hand," Chloe rubbed her girlfriend's arm comfortingly from her spot behind her on the couch. Beca's small frame rested against her torso comfortably and she had been trying to build herself to bring up what she had said the night before in the hospital. Now was the perfect time to distract her with it.

"Can we talk about what you said last night?" Beca shifted so that she could look up at Chloe's apprehensive features and then bit her bottom lip.

"Chloe, look, I'm sorry if I freaked you out or something. I was all hopped up on painkillers and-"

"I want to marry you." Chloe interrupted. "I wasn't freaked out. At all. Wait, are you?"

"What? No," Beca shook her head. "I mean, I just, I didn't expect you to be so, you know, cool with it. I mean, I asked you to marry me two hours after I was stabbed. And with how crazy things have been lately, I didn't want to stress you out even more."

"Beca, I love being with you. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you don't stress me out. I've never loved anyone like I love you and this little family we have now. And I know you think things are insane and all but…I'd take this over the house I grew up in any day." Chloe's voice thickened and she looked from her girlfriend, to the crackling fireplace, to the kitten curled up on the chair across from them. Her cheeks burned red as an overwhelming amount of appreciation for the moment swept over her.

"I didn't buy you a ring yet, and I don't really have a game plan." Beca admitted.

"I don't care. As long as it ends with us at the alter; the wedding and the formalities don't matter. I just want _you,_ Beca."

"Shit," Beca looked back down at her laptop as the threat of tears stung at her eyes. She had 26 stitches and an empty police report on the kitchen table to fill out, but she also had a fiancé. She was wanted, and loved, and despite her recent attack, she felt safe.

—

Jaiden was not herself. The parts of Stacie that she had used to handle with care and adoration were instead attacked with a vicious hunger and uncharacteristic tenacity. The older girl stifled her moans into Jaiden's bare shoulder and allowed her to take control. Pinned to the car's backseat; she had nothing to cling to except for the smooth skin on Jaiden's back, but the 18 year old didn't seem to mind the nails digging into her flesh.

"We should go somewhere," Jaiden panted. "Somewhere with more…room."

"Don't you have to be home?" Stacie gasped at a well placed touch and locked her eyes on the sweaty face above her own.

"Well, yeah. Maybe later tonight? I'll sneak out-" Jaiden stopped talking as she brought her ex to the brink and helped her to ride out her climax. While Stacie caught her breath, she pulled her undergarments and sweats back on before crawling into the front seat to give the older girl some room. Stacie joined her after a few minutes; in the passenger's seat this time. Jaiden had apparently deemed herself sober enough to drive.

"About tonight; as long as you're not going to get yourself in trouble. Are you sure you're okay, though? You seem-"

"I'm fine," Jaiden reached across and opened her door. "See you later." Stacie wavered, but then nodded and got out of the vehicle. Maybe she didn't press more because she felt like she still owed Jaiden something. Maybe it was because the sex was good. Either way; Stacie still felt guilty as she watched the small car speed away.

—-

Jaiden shambled through the apartment door almost 20 minutes later, after stopping for some eyedrops and cheap body spray. Chloe was waiting for her practically the moment she walked through the door, and the teenager straightened up in an attempt to look less suspicious. The bag of weed in her pocket felt like it was suddenly a lot more pungent, and she held her breath as the redhead looked her up and down.

"Where'd you go?" She asked finally.

"I went for a walk in the park. Sorry. I should have called. How's Beca?" Jaiden changed the subject and looked over Chloe's shoulder. The back of Beca's head was visible in the living room, and she could vaguely make out the sound of music coming from her sister's laptop.

"Fine. Resting. Are you okay? You're all sweaty and stuff."

"I'm fine. Just did a lot of walking. I'm going to get a shower and then I'll be out to chill with her." Jaiden replied quickly and then brushed past the older girl. She made a bee-line for her bathroom and swiftly deposited her bag of weed in the back of her top dresser drawer on the way. Eager to wash off the smell of smoke and sex, Jaiden turned on the shower, disrobed, and got in before the water even had time to warm up the entire way.

By the time she had washed her hair and her body, Jaiden was starting to come down into the tired nothingness that usually followed getting high. Her eyelids hung heavy as she dried off and wrapped herself in a towel. She shuffled into her room and pulled on an old t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants and then finally forced herself back out into the main area of the apartment. Chloe and Beca were resting together on the couch together, and Jaiden collapsed onto the love seat beside them.

"Hey," Beca spoke up when she realized that her sister wasn't going to say anything. Jaiden shut a tired, passing glance her way and then nodded.

"Hi."

"How're your hands today?"

"They're fine. Are you two like, engaged now?" Jaiden asked; taking the concentration off of herself and pinning it on the two of them. Beca and Chloe exchanged glances and to Jaiden's surprise, her sister nodded.

"Yeah, actually. Not in the classiest way, but yeah."

"Wait, seriously?" Jaiden straightened up in her seat and looked for a sign of humor.

"Yep. No date set or anything, but we're planning on getting married." Chloe replied with an excited grin.

"Well, um, congratulations. Really nice proposal, Beca."

"I know, I'm a charm master." The small brunette smirked and then bit her bottom lip. Despite Jaiden's apparent willingness to make conversation, she was still paranoid that she wasn't coping as well as she seemed. It wasn't exactly easy for Beca to focus on anything other than what had happened in the hall outside the apartment last night, but there was something unspoken going on with the younger girl. She hadn't spoken a word about what had happened to her hands, let alone where she had gone in the near half hour after Beca was attacked. Jaiden wasn't being Jaiden.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and all three of the girls tensed. Chloe was the one who eventually moved to answer it, while the Mitchell siblings stared nervously from the living room. Both of them relaxed when two uniformed officers stepped into the apartment.

"Sorry to disturb you, ladies. We're just here to get a few statements and then we'll be out of your hair." The taller of the two spoke apologetically. "I'm Officer Ramirez and this is my partner; Officer Burke. Jaiden Mitchell," The 18 year old tensed as the man turned his attention to her. "Is it alright if we speak with you in private?"

 ** _Little bit of a cliff hanger for you guys! Thanks so much for reading, as always. Bechloe wedding on the way soon. Also, to the Guest that was bitching in the reviews, please kindly calm your tits or get the fuck out. It's my story lol_**


	16. Chapter 16

Beca tried to conceal the bubbling panic that rose in her chest as her sister sat in the kitchen and spoke with the police officers. The fact that Chloe hadn't offered anything to comfort her made her even more nervous, and the redhead's silence unnerved her entirely. No one had clarified to her what had happened the night before, which meant that her own mind was going to come up with the worst potential explanations.

The meeting lasted around 10 minutes, and when Jaiden led the two officers back into the living room, her face was completely vapid of any hint of emotion. She went straight to her room as the two men sat down, and the sound of her door shutting echoed through the apartment.

"Beca, we'd like to talk to you about your mother," Officer Ramirez paused, and then glanced at Chloe. "Would you like to have this conversation in private?"

"No, we're fine." Beca shook her head and relaxed a tad as Chloe took her hand.

"Okay then," He nodded. "Well, there's no easy way to say this. Last night, after your sister's act of…defense…left Mrs. Mitchell with serious brain damage. She's currently on a ventilator at Barden Memorial. Before you react, you should know that no charges will be pressed against Jaiden. However, we've just come to inform you and to let you know that the decision to continue life support or to let go is in your control, as your mother's technical next of kin."

Beca faltered for a few seconds; trying to take in everything she had just been told. The idea of Jaiden doing something so violent was completely out of character, but she believed it. From the state of the girl's knuckles, things had obviously gotten quite bad.

"Let her go. Cremate her, or whatever you do when no one wants to claim the body. Just…please just let this be done for us." Beca decided after nearly a minute. The officers exchanged glances, and then Dr. Ramirez marked something down on his notepad.

"Of course. Thank you for your time, ladies. We're very sorry you've gone through all this. Enjoy the rest of the day." He tilted his hat at Chloe and Beca respectfully, and then motioned for his partner to follow him out of the apartment. Silence rested between the couple on the couch for quite some time before Chloe finally spoke up.

"Beca, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," The brunette shook her head curtly. "It's over. She got what she deserved."

"Baby, we should talk about this. I know…I know you can't just be okay with everything."

"You know what? I am. Sure; I'm fucking pissed that Jaiden and I got handed this shit show and that it's lasted this long. But I do _not_ regret the decision I just made. And the thing is," Beca took a second to glance up at the ceiling through teary eyes and smiled ruefully. "I think I've always hated her more than Ted. She just let everything happen. She loved that drunk more than her own kids."

"She did do one thing right." Beca turned enough to stare at Chloe in shock. "She had you and your sister. But that's it." The brunette relaxed when she realized what her fiancé meant and she rested back against Chloe completely again.

"Do you think she's going to be okay? I'm sure they told her…"

"I think she will be. Eventually. This might set her back a little." Chloe admitted. "But I promise, I'll keep an eye on her. You just need to focus on taking it easy and healing up."

"What if she tries to kill herself again?"

"Beca, don't," Chloe shook her head. "Don't get yourself worked up like this. We're all going to be okay. She's getting the help she needs."

"But after today, with Emily and the police coming with that news; what if it's just too much for her? She acts all tough but she can't handle all this. I can't lose her."

" _We will all be okay_." Chloe repeated herself; firmer this time. She moved her hands to Beca's back and rubbed in small circles. The smaller girl's skin was soft under her touch and she traced mindless patterns across her. "So, what kind of wedding do you want?" Beca shifted uncomfortably at the question. Planning a wedding was far out of her comfort zone, but she _was_ the one who had initiated the idea of them getting married.

"Um…well, you know me. Something small would be fine. But what do you want?"

"You know, growing up I always imagined some big, white dress and like 100 guests and cute little favors on all of the tables…but I just want you, Beca. I don't care about anything else."

"So, just like, a private ceremony?" The brunette asked uncertainly. She had always pegged Chloe to want something lavish. This was unexpected.

"Yeah. Maybe…maybe in the auditorium where you auditioned? I know it might be cheesy and weird, but I don't know…" Chloe let her voice trail off and got lost in the mental image of her and Beca standing across from each other in the middle of that stage, with nothing but a long spotlight illuminating them.

"I'd like that." Beca replied quietly. "I'd like that a lot. As soon as I'm better, I promise, that's what we'll do."

"Don't worry about rushing it, Becs. I know you're not going anywhere, and I'm not either. We can take our time." Chloe assured her. Content that she had been able to distract Beca from worrying about Jaiden, at least for now, the redhead kissed the top of her head and continued to rub her back.

—

Jaiden stared out the window; restless and slightly sick to her stomach. The 18 year old didn't know what to do with herself. Officer Ramirez's words still rang in her ears; telling her how she had given her own mother a death sentence. The statement had been oddly satisfying, and Jaiden was disgusted by how _relieved_ she was that the older woman was finally leaving this world. It wasn't right. When mothers died; their children were supposed to be devastated. There had to be something wrong with her if she didn't feel that way.

The 18 year old was drug out of her paranoid, self-doubting thoughts by a knock at her door. Chloe let herself in a few seconds later, to find Jaiden sitting on her window sill-obviously distressed and trying to repress it.

"Hey. You alright?"

Jaiden's response shocked even herself. She barely recognized herself as she shook her head and threw herself at Chloe; hiding her face in the fabric of the older girl's shirt.

"I killed her." She whimpered. "I killed my mom."

"No, baby, no you didn't. She killed herself. You know that. You did what you had to do."

"I could have let her run. She was leaving." Jaiden argued tearfully. God, the guilt was overwhelming. She couldn't do this. She couldn't live with herself.

"But, what if you had and she came back later? Jaiden, listen, you were just protecting your family. It's okay." Chloe squeezed the younger girl tightly and prayed her words were getting through.

"It's not. You can't say that because it's not okay. Everything has just been a fucking disaster lately and I can't do this anymore. Emily's stuck at home with her family and she's going to get worse because of it, and it's my fault because I kissed her and that's why she's been coming over here! I slept with Stacie this morning and now she's probably thinking I want something again-"

"I thought you were at the park?!" Chloe interrupted, and pulled back enough so that she could see Jaiden's face.

"I was. I ran into her there. I'm sorry! I told you; everything is going bad. I can't stop making mistakes and ruining everything-"

"Jaiden, you need to breathe. I don't know what to say to make you realize that you can't blame yourself for everything that happens." Chloe cut the hysterical girl off just as Beca stepped stiffly into the bedroom. The small brunette stared at them both with wide, concerned eyes and she held a hand to her aching stomach tenderly.

"Jay, come here." She coaxed.

"No," The younger girl shook her head and pulled away from Chloe. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Beca, you should really sit back down." Chloe piped up anxiously.

"You're not going to hurt me. You're okay. I'm okay. We're okay." Beca ignored her girlfriend and continued to stare at Jaiden.

"Are we?" She challenged.

"Yes. This shit is over, Jay. I know you're hurting right now, but you've got to listen to me. I can't be scared that you're going to do something and I'm going to lose you. I need you to understand that it's just us three now, alright? Me, you, and Chloe. No one's coming after us anymore. You don't have to feel guilty that we're _safe_ , okay? You deserve to be safe." Beca slowly made her way across the room and neared her sister. Jaiden's labored breathing slowed as she looked between her older sibling and her girlfriend.

"It's okay." Chloe reaffirmed the considering look in the 18 year old's eyes.

Jaiden was still too scared to let herself believe that.

—-

Emily stared at the blank wall on the far side of her bedroom with irritated, red eyes and rubbed the scars on her wrist methodically. She hated it here. The walls of the room seemed to be choking her with their pale beige tones and increasingly claustrophobic look. She hadn't spoken a word to her mother since they had gotten back to their house. She didn't think the older woman really wanted to talk to her anyways. All there ever was in their home was screaming or silence. Never just talking.

She had to leave. She couldn't run; she had nowhere to go that they wouldn't find her. The options in her head were slowly whittled down to one-one sure way she could be taken out of that Hell and still be safe. So, the brunette slowly got to her feet and opened her bedroom door as quietly as she could. Her feet barely made a sound as she snuck into her father's study and rooted through his drawers, until she finally found it.

The letter opener.

 ** _Feel free to review and tell me what you think/would like to see. Thanks for reading._**


	17. Chapter 17

Dr. Wilson wasn't one to get anxious about sessions. She was generally confident in her profession, and liked to think she maintained good relationships with the majority of her patients. Even if her session with Jaiden Mitchell was just going to be influenced by the incident with her mother, she would have still been fine with it. But it had not been an easy week in the adolescent psych wing.

She had gotten the page approximately 15 minutes before Emily Junk was brought into the ward with two huge pieces of medical gauze taped to each forearm and a blank, pale face. Luckily for her, Mr. and Mrs. Junk had been confined to the lobby of the hospital and weren't going to be granted access to their daughter for some time, due to the note that had been found alongside Emily. Their treatment was explicitly stated as the reason she had relapsed so drastically. That was something that couldn't be ignored.

Dr. Wilson had never been one to breach patient confidentiality either. But, the first thing Jaiden asked when she sat down across from her was if she had spoken to Emily at all. Worry painted her exhausted features, and Dr. Wilson made an ethics call; Emily was almost 18 and if she had any say in her own psychiatric care yet, she would most definitely want Jaiden to know.

"Emily has actually been readmitted to the ward," the doctor started out carefully. "She experienced a rather drastic relapse earlier this week."

"What? What did she do?"

"I can't tell you that, Jaiden. But I need to know if you're willing to help Emily get better once she turns 18. Because as long as we keep sending her home, she's never going to recover. Her parents are entirely detrimental to her progress." The doctor's voice was solemn and her eyes searched Jaiden's after she quit speaking. The teenager nodded.

"Of course. What do you need me to do? Beca and Chloe were going to let her stay with us before her mom showed up."

"That's what I was going to suggest. I've actually already spoken with your sister and she understands the situation as well. But there are some things we need to be clear on," Dr. Wilson paused and shuffled her papers. "Emily is fragile and she's really very enamored by you. If…if you aren't serious about supporting her, then don't get involved at all." She warned. Jaiden cleared her throat and shook her head.

"No, I-I would never do something like that. I'm here for her." The words tasted acidic in her mouth as she struggled to push the foggy memories of Stacie on top of her the day before away. However, Dr. Wilson seemed unaware of the strain in her voice, and nodded with a slight smile.

"That's good to hear. Now, let's talk about you. How've you been holding up?" Jaiden squirmed at the question and began an internal debate. She knew therapy didn't work unless she was honest during it, but she had also been doing everything in her power to block out the events of the other night. Rehashing it didn't seem helpful in the least.

"I've been okay."

"Jaiden, we've discussed this," Dr. Wilson sighed. "There's no point coming here if you're just going to lie."

"I know, I know. It's just that I really don't want to talk about this anymore. I already had to talk to the police and I just…want to move past it. I don't want to think about it."

"Okay, we don't have to talk about what actually happened right now," Dr. Wilson reasoned. "Let's focus on how you've been coping. Be honest; how have you been spending your time at the apartment?" Jaiden grimaced and cracked her knuckles to break the silence.

"I picked up some pot." She admitted. "And I, uh, slept with someone while I was high."

"Was it Stacie?" The 18 year old's eyes widened and she stared at the doctor in disbelief. Dr. Wilson arched an eyebrow as she waited for a response.

"Yeah."

"You understand that there are other ways to self harm, besides cutting, right? Surely you didn't just up and decide to hook up with your ex. You did it because you-"

"I did it because I needed to focus on something other than what happened. I know, Dr. Wilson." Jaiden interrupted. "I just…we ran into each other at the park and I went for the first thing that would help me stop thinking."

"So you know all of these things now," Dr. Wilson tilted her head to the side. "How do you feel about what you did?"

"Kind of…kind of gross."

"Does your sister know? Or Chloe?"

"Yeah," Jaiden nodded. "I told them last night. We were all, you know, kind of having a hard time."

"Perfectly understandable. I'm really glad that you told them, though. You've really come a long way in the time we've been working together. You realize that, don't you?" Jaiden's face reddened a bit at Dr. Wilson's observation.

"I guess so."

—

 _"Chloe! Chloe, please, do something!" Chloe's struggled fruitlessly to move her legs in an attempt to get to Beca's frantic voice. She could hear the younger girl screaming at the end of her long hallway and her heart thudded painfully every time she heard one of Beca's screams. She needed to get to her and she_ couldn't.

" _Beca, where are you? I-I'm trying!" Chloe shouted desperately. The redhead fought to move with increasing violence as the sound of her fiancé's pained screeches echoed down the dark corridor. She had to get to her. She had to protect her-"_

"Chlo, wake up!" Panicked blue eyes flashed open and Beca flinched back a bit from their intensity. It wasn't often that Chloe dozed off in the middle of the day, and she never thrashed around like Beca had just seen her do. Chloe didn't get nightmares.

"Hey, you alright? What's wrong?" Beca gingerly sat down on the edge of the couch and pushed a stray strand of Chloe's hair out of her eyes. The redhead's face glistened with sweat and Beca rubbed her arm reassuringly.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream. I'm fine."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Beca prompted awkwardly. She wasn't usually the one to initiate a conversation about feelings or whatever. That was always Chloe's cup of tea.

"It was stupid. Just…one of those ones where you need to get to something and you can't move."

"Well, what did you need to get to?" Beca asked.

"You," Chloe admitted quietly. "I couldn't find you and you were…you were hurt." Beca's slightly uncomfortable demeanor shifted to concern and she bit her bottom lip as Chloe sat up.

"I'm so sorry. I know…I know this has to be hard on you."

"I'm just so glad you're okay, Beca. I've almost lost you twice and I just need to know that nothing else is going to come along and try to take you away from me!"

"Hey," Beca shook her head and pressed her forehead against Chloe's. "I'm not going anywhere, alright? I'm right here, always. I promise."

"Okay. I'm sorry for getting all…" The older girl's voice trailed off and she shook her head.

"It's alright. I understand. I…I haven't been sleeping great either." Beca told her honestly. "So much has happened lately and it's all starting to catch up to me and I don't really know how to process it all at once."

"Have you been taking your-"

"Yeah," Beca cut her off before she could finish the question. "I have. That stuff can only help so much."

"Do you want to talk to somebody?" Chloe suggested carefully. The smaller girl frowned.

"What, like a therapist? No. You're better than any of them anyways."

"Are you stressed out about Dr. Wilson calling? Do you want me to call her back and tell her we can't manage-"

"No," Beca interrupted immediately. "Jaiden really cares about her and sending her back to her parents would be as shitty as…as shitty as when I lived with my dad and Jaiden lived with them." And it was then that Chloe understood why Beca had been so quick to taking another teenager in. She couldn't bear the thought of sending Emily into a household with detrimental parents. "You're okay with it thought, right? I mean, I know I really should have asked you before I agreed."

"No, Beca, I'm proud of you." Chloe said. Before their conversation could continue any further, the front door opened and Jaiden stepped into the apartment. It was obvious from the look on her face that her session had been draining, so it surprised both of them when she willingly came and sat down in the living room with them. Bailey leapt up onto the 18 year old's lap and curled up within seconds; which seemed to do little for her nerves.

"You okay?" Beca asked. Her sister looked up and gave a slight nod in response. Jaiden turned her attention back to her cat and stroked the animal's fur softly.

"Are you sure?" Chloe prodded.

"I'm fine. It was therapy. It was cathartic or something. I just…I heard about Emily. You guys should have told me."

"Jay, she asked us not to. And we knew you'd get really upset." Beca replied.

"I know, I know." Jaiden glanced away from her pet for a second. "I just…I feel a little blindsided. I assured myself that she would be fine and tried to stop worrying about her and she wasn't. She could have killed herself."

"Well, now you know how we felt." Beca pointed out quietly. Chloe's eyes widened at her finance's words and Jaiden's hand froze on Bailey's back. "Shit, I'm sorry." The older of the Mitchell siblings breathed out.

"No, you had the right to say that." Jaiden chewed the inside of her cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did that. I just felt like, at the time, I didn't have any better options. I was so tired." Her voice cracked. "I don't like thinking about her like that."

"We know that you and Emily are a little more than friends. And don't get mad when I say this, but please just be careful here. Don't hurt each other. You've both been through a lot and I…I don't want you to get your heart broken again."

"I won't. And thank you so much for letting her stay here. It means a lot to me." Jaiden looked between the two older girls and tried to keep her face from reddening. She was trying to be more open with them, mostly due to Dr. Wilson's constant pushing, but it still felt so foreign to her.

"Of course." Beca smiled at her slightly and then winced as she got to her feet gingerly. Chloe reached for her arm worriedly and helped the tiny girl to catch her balance without too much strain. "I think I'm going to take a nap."

"Me too." Jaiden stood up, holding Bailey against her chest, and started towards her bedroom. She hadn't realized Beca had followed her until the small brunette shut the door behind them. "Jesus," Jaiden breathed out.

"Sorry, I just…we haven't spent a lot of time together lately. We've always been really good at napping." Jaiden chuckled and crawled into bed. She waited until Beca had slowly lowered herself down to pull the blankets up and then buried her face in the pillows. A few seconds later, she felt her older sister's arm wrap around her and relaxed at the familiar smell of her perfume.


	18. Chapter 18

Jaiden had been staring at the text on her phone for a good three minutes, debating what to do. Stacie's number, which she regrettably still recognized, had popped up on her screen with a request that Jaiden probably should have seen coming.

 _I'm parked out front. Want to fool around?_

Emily was getting out in three days, yet here she was; debating whether or not she wanted to sneak out at 1 am and meet up with her ex. Which, admittedly, was her fault. She had initiated things with Stacie again, and she couldn't blame the older girl for pursuing it. Nevertheless, Jaiden couldn't ignore her with a clear conscience, so she crept out of her bedroom, slipped on a pair of sneakers, and tip-toed out the door.

Stacie was leaning on the hood of her car, and straightened up as Jaiden walked out of the apartment complex.

"Hey." She greeted the 18 year old.

"We need to talk." Jaiden deadpanned.

"We can talk later," Stacie smirked. "Come on; I'll drive you back to my apartment." She started to get into her car and Jaiden reached out to stop her.

"No, I'm not…we're not going to do this anymore. I really shouldn't have in the first place."

"Wow," Stacie scoffed. "Thanks a lot."

"No, no, it's not like that. This was my fault and I shouldn't of started anything again, but I was having a really rough time when we ran into each other and…and I was high. I'm sorry if I led you on or something, but there is kind of someone else in my life right now and I just don't want to mess things up with her." Jaiden explained with a sort of nervous energy in her words. The brunette seemed on edge to say the least, and she rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably once she was finished. Stacie crossed her arms, bit her bottom lip, and nodded.

"I know. I could tell you were, you know, not yourself that day. I guess I was just desperate. I miss you, Jaiden. But I'm glad you found someone else. Don't screw it up like I did." The older girl's response took Jaiden by surprise and she managed to make eye contact with Stacie. She found nothing but sincerity in her stare.

"Thanks. And I'm sorry again."

"Are you okay though, Jaiden? I mean…you look…" Stacie let her voice trail off; unsure on how to end the sentence without sounding offensive. The younger of the two shifted back and forth on her feet and glanced around the empty street. "Like why were you even in the middle of the park like that?"

"There's just been some stuff going on. Don't worry about it." Jaiden muttered. It was clear that she wasn't going to say anything else on the matter, and the brunette slowly began to edge her way back towards the apartment building. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See you around." Stacie chewed the inside of her cheek as she watched Jaiden disappear into the lobby.

—

Jaiden had barely gotten back into the apartment before she came face to face with Chloe.

"Where were you? What are you thinking? Are you really going to start sneaking out again?" The redhead demanded in a hushed whisper.

"No, no, it wasn't that." Jaiden quietly shut the door behind herself and looked around the dark apartment to make sure that her sister hadn't gotten up. "I was just outside talking to Stacie."

"That doesn't make the situation any better!"

"Chloe, God, can you listen for a second?" Jaiden slipped her shoes off and paused for a moment, just in case the older girl was still planning on interrupting. "She wanted to hook up because of, you know, what happened before. I just wanted to set the record straight and I did. Please, don't be a dick about this."

"I'm not being a dick, but you can't blame me for thinking that you might be running off to do something. It's the middle of the night." Chloe replied defensively.

"Okay, whatever. I'm going back to bed."

"Jaiden, don't be mad. I'm not trying to annoy you, but I….this has been hard for me too!" Chloe's voice rose in volume and Jaiden glanced nervously towards the room where Beca was sleeping.

"I know." She assured Chloe calmly.

"I want to look out for her and I want to look out for you, but it's hard. It's hard to make sure you're both okay, especially when you're both so fucking awful at communicating!" Jaiden winced as Chloe practically started shouting and the light down the hall turned on.

"Chloe, just relax, okay? I'm going to go get Beca and then we can talk about this if you want. Just go sit down on the couch." Jaiden directed the older girl towards the living room and then hurried to the master bedroom. Beca was stiffly getting out of bed by the time she walked in, and despite the obvious fatigue in her features, she looked scared.

"What's going on? I heard Chloe-"

"Look, she's freaking out a little bit. I think everything's finally catching up to her and she was waiting for me when I came back in-"

"Came back in from where?" Beca interrupted. Jaiden rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Not important, but I was just setting the record straight with Stacie that I didn't want anything. We were just out front." Jaiden moved out of the doorway and back down the hall, knowing that Beca would follow her. To her relief, Chloe was sitting on the couch, and she took the chair next to it so that Beca could sit directly beside the girl.

"Hey, babe, what's going on?" Beca asked quietly.

"Nothing, nothing. This is stupid; I'm sorry I woke you up. Let's just all go back to bed." Chloe blurted out. She went to stand, but allowed herself to be stopped when Beca laid a hand on her.

"It's not stupid. And no offense, but if I have to talk about my feelings to both of you, then you do too. Tell Beca what you told me." Jaiden spoke up. The authority in her voice caught both of the older girls by surprise, and Chloe's face reddened. She looked ashamed.

"What?" Beca pushed slightly.

"This has been hard for her." Jaiden eventually answered when Chloe didn't. "At least that's what she told me."

"Chlo? Come on, say something," Beca squeezed the older girl's forearm and waited earnestly for her to speak. Chloe shook her head slightly and her knee began to bounce up and down rapidly.

"I don't know what to say. I just…you almost died the other night and it came out of nowhere. Everything that has happened has had absolutely no warning and I hate feeling like I can't watch out for either of you." She rambled. Beca and Jaiden exchanged glances before waiting for her to go on. "I feel like I need to be on guard every second."

"Chloe, look, you don't anymore." Jaiden pointed out tiredly. Her lack of sleep lately, combined with the time of night they were having this conversation, had left her practically filterless and she didn't so much as hesitate before her next statement. "Both of them are dead."

"Jay," Beca's voice had a touch of warning in it and she stared at her sister questioningly.

"Look, I don't know what else to say. It's true and it's pretty much the answer to the problem here." Jaiden defended herself irritably.

"I know that they're…they're not a threat anymore but things have just been changing so quickly. I don't even know what to expect next at this point." Chloe pushed her hair back out of her face in exasperation.

"If Beca and I are _both_ telling you that things are fine now, then you have to believe they are. We're okay." Jaiden replied. Her tone had softened and Beca stared at her appreciatively.

"We are, babe. I promise." Beca said. Chloe's eyes flickered from her, to the ceiling, to Jaiden, and then back down to her own hands. She looked doubtful, as well as something Beca rarely saw; downright terrified. Things had finally gotten the best of her. Chloe could handle a lot, considering her packed schedule, but when the things weren't planned-when she had no _control_ over them-she lost it.

"You can't know that." Chloe whispered.

"Yes, we can. Come back to bed, and I promise that things will still be alright in the morning. Just trust me, Chlo." Beca coaxed. With a bit of effort, she got to her feet and extended her hand. Much to both her and Jaiden's relief, Chloe took it. Jaiden watched as the two girls slowly made their way back down the hall and into their bedroom. By the time their light went out, she was too tired to make her way back to her own room, and instead curled up on the chair she was in.

—-

"Chloe, you have to get some sleep." Beca mumbled from her own side of the bed. Chloe had been tossing and turning for the last half hour; obviously too worked up to rest. Despite Beca's own fatigue, she couldn't bring herself to sleep when Chloe was so close and distraught.

"I can't."

"Dude, listen, you've spent so much time worrying about us lately. You're freaking out because you know you can't control everything, but you want to." Beca told her gently. She scooted closer, despite the pain in her stomach, and rested her head on Chloe's pillow. Pressed against the older girl's back, she nestled as close as she could and sighed. "I just wish I could help you understand that things are going to be okay from now on."

"But what if they aren't? What if something else happens and we can't just move on from it?" Beca tensed in realization. And then she couldn't help but feel idiotic that she hadn't pieced everything together sooner.

"Baby, is this about your brother?" Silence. Then, a shaky inhale. Chloe had gone rigid in Beca's arms and she clenched the comforter in her white-knuckled fists.

"No." The crack in her voice meant otherwise. She hadn't been able to save him, no matter how much she tried to help, and now she was afraid the same thing would happen to Beca or Jaiden.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. But you can't be scared all the time like this."

"I can't help it Beca. Everything's been completely random lately and I don't even know what to expect anymore." Chloe's voice was barely audible and Beca brought a hand up to trace up and down the redhead's spine.

"I'll tell you what to expect then, okay?" She offered. "Expect us to get married soon. Expect it to be on paper that I'm your wife and you're mine. Expect us to move into a house sometime soon, and for Jaiden to keep getting better. Expect her to start helping Emily and having someone who makes her happy again. Expect things to be okay."

"Okay…" Chloe repeated doubtfully.

"Okay." Beca affirmed. The bedroom was silent for a few minutes, and Beca listened intently to Chloe's breathing. It gradually slowed down to a pace the brunette recognized as her sleeping, and Beca finally stopped rubbing the older girl's back. Her own forgotten fatigue returned as her concern for her fiancé calmed. Still pressed against Chloe's back, Beca eventually managed to drift back off to sleep.

—-

Jaiden woke up with a stiff neck and a sore back; folded up in the chair she had inadvertently fallen asleep in. The smell of coffee drifted over to her, and upon seeing the clock across the living room, she knew the only person up at 7:00 had to be Chloe. Stretching painfully, Jaiden stood up and walked quietly through the doorway.

"Hey," Chloe jumped a bit at her sudden presence and nearly spilled her mug of coffee.

"Oh, hey," She breathed out in surprise. "Look, I'm really sorry about last night. I don't know what-"

"Chloe, it's fine. After everything that's happened, it probably would have been weird if you didn't freak out at least once." Jaiden cut her off firmly. The 18 year old shot her an assuring glance as she went to fix her own mug of coffee. "We're all a little fucked up, okay?" She smirked.

"Yeah." Chloe forced a small smile and sipped at her cup. As soon as the Keurig stopped brewing, Jaiden went and sat down at the counter beside her. She could tell that Chloe was still incredibly embarrassed about the night before.

"Chloe, you and Beca found me after I tried to kill myself. If anyone should be the most embarrassed of previous actions in this apartment, it's me. So, you know, it's not all about you princess." One of Jaiden's comforting mechanisms was to draw the attention to something worse. Considering she was out of other options, she chose herself. Chloe's eyes met hers and she could see concern beginning to swirl in them.

"Jaiden," The older girl started.

"Come on, you know its true." Jaiden laughed it off and blew at the steam rising up from her coffee. "And besides; I'm just trying to get you to chill out. Things don't always have to be so serious, you know."

"Coming from you?" Chloe scoffed. "You only laugh like, once a week. Maybe."

"I'm clinically depressed. What do you expect?" Jaiden shrugged. "Plus you and Beca aren't really that funny."

"Okay, rude."

"I'm supposed to work on honesty. Blame my doctor."

"In all honesty, I really appreciate it. I know things have been…tense between us before but I feel like things are really going well despite the, um, circumstances lately." Chloe said softly. A little uncomfortable at how personal the conversation had gotten, Jaiden glanced around and forced herself to nod.

"Yeah, uh, I feel the same way." Emotions were so fucking overwhelming.

How the hell was she going to deal with Emily being there?

 ** _Sorry for the wait! Please review and tell me what you think/would like to see. Thanks for reading._**


	19. Chapter 19

"What's your name, sweetie?" Jaiden snapped out of her overwhelming thoughts and made eye contact with the nurse behind the desk for the first time since entering the hospital.

"Yeah, sorry," Voice rough with anxiety, Jaiden pushed her hair back out of her face. "Jaiden Mitchell. I'm here to pick up Emily Junk."

"Alright, I just need you to sign here," The nurse laid a clipboard in front of Jaiden and the 18 year old quickly scrawled her signature with the attached pen. "Alright, she's in the waiting room with her bags." Jaiden turned away and headed towards the waiting area with her keys gripped tightly in her hand. She spotted Emily almost immediately upon entering the doorway and tensed as the younger girl saw her as well.

"Jaiden," Emily breathed out. She didn't hesitate before running over to her former roommate and throwing her arms around her. Jaiden braced herself and couldn't help but wince when she noticed the marks on Emily's forearms just as they wrapped around her torso. She hugged the brunette back tightly. Bitter nostalgia threatened her when she breathed in the smell of the familiar soap the hospital supplied. The two of them stayed locked in that embrace for almost an entire minutes before they finally separated.

"Ready?" Jaiden asked her. The older girl bent down and picked up the bags on the ground and waited for Emily to nod before starting towards the exit.

"Thank you so much for this." The automatic doors opened in front of them and Jaiden glanced over at her as their feet hit the pavement. Emily shivered at the cold autumn air and stared at Jaiden with lively eyes.

"Don't mention it. I just…I want you to get better."

"Are you sure your sister is okay with this?" Jaiden sighed at the sound of Emily's typical insecurities and reminded herself to be patient with her. Using one hand to open the trunk of her car, she put Emily's two bags in and then slammed it shut.

"They made the decision before I even knew about it. She and Chloe are one hundred percent willing to have you here. Don't question it. Don't doubt it. It's alright." She assured her. Emily blushed and watched Jaiden get into the driver's seat. After a few seconds, she joined her in the vehicle and pulled her seatbelt on.

"So are you going to tell me why you did it?" Jaiden asked as she ignited the engine and backed out of her parking spot. Emily tensed in the seat beside her, and then felt foolish. She should have expected the question. Jaiden had never been one to respect personal boundaries or hold back anything she wanted to know.

"I couldn't be there anymore." Emily whispered finally.

"What do you mean by 'there'? Like your house or alive?"

"Just there. With them."

"But you're not…you weren't…?" Jaiden let her voice trail off and she glanced over at Emily once they were stopped at a red light. The younger girl shook her head.

"No. I wasn't. That wasn't why." Nodding in curt satisfaction, Jaiden turned her eyes back to the road and pressed the gas pedal as the light turned green. The 18 year old turned on the radio in order to fill the potentially awkward silence the rest of the way to the apartment. Although she knew she shouldn't feel nervous around the girl she had lived with for several weeks, she did. Things were different now. They cared about each other before, but it wasn't the same.

—

"Chloe, don't make a big deal out of all of this." Beca sighed from her spot on the couch. Her fiancé had been rushing around the kitchen for the last half an hour; putting far too much effort into making what should have been a simple lunch.

"I just want her to feel welcome." The redhead replied defensively. "She should know that we're happy to have her."

"Are we? I mean, are we really equipped to be looking out for this kid?" Beca's voice was strained temporarily as she got up from the couch and made her way into the kitchen. Chloe looked up from the stove and shrugged.

"We already look out for one. What's one more?"

"Are you really that optimistic about this?" Beca arched an eyebrow.

"Honestly, yeah. I think it's going to be really good for Jaiden. Not to sound insensitive, but this is almost like…a project for her, you know?" Chloe pointed out. "She's going to have another reason to get herself better."

"I just hope things work well with them. I don't want her getting her heart broken again."

"Emily hardly seems like a heartbreaker." The redhead scoffed. "I don't think we really need to worry about that-" The sound of the door opening cut their conversation short, and Chloe's face lit up in excitement at the arrival of their new roommate.

"Be normal." Beca reminded her quickly. Chloe rolled her eyes, annoyed at the reminder, and quickly regained her composure as Jaiden walked into the kitchen with Emily trailing behind her.

"Em, you know Beca and Chloe." Jaiden gestured to the two older girls with the hand that wasn't holding luggage. Emily forced an obviously stressed smile and stuck out her shaking hand. Chloe moved forward immediately, wanting to make her comfortable, and shook it.

"It's so good to see you! Welcome to our humble abode." The redhead grinned. "Lunch will be ready in a few minutes, so feel free to get all settled in."

"Thanks." Emily allowed herself to be pulled down the hallway by Jaiden.

"I'm sorry," The older of the two apologized. "They're just really excited. Especially Chloe."

"I feel so bad moving in with you guys." Emily admitted. Guilt plagued her features and she winced as Jaiden set her bags down. "I'm sorry. I'm being annoying."

"I don't know what to say to get you to see that this is okay." Jaiden crossed her arms and bit her bottom lip. "We want you to be somewhere you can get better. _I_ want you here." She admitted. "It scares the shit out of me to think about you living with your parents again."

"Jaiden," Emily grimaced.

"I really hate that I have to spell this out for you, because I…I'm not comfortable being this transparent. I care about you, Emily. A lot. I think, uh, that I might actually love you." Jaiden's heart pounded and a sickening knot twisted in her stomach. Emily looked stunned.

"You love me?"

"I think so." Jaiden grimaced.

"I think I love you too." The words nearly got caught in Emily's throat and she felt like she was vibrating with nervous energy. Nevertheless, she stepped a little closer to Jaiden. The older girl didn't look much better off than she did.

"You don't have to say that just because I did."

"That's not why I said it." Emily shook her head. "I feel closer to you than I ever have with anyone. Not my parents or old friends or anyone. Just you."

"Just me," Jaiden repeated.

"Yeah." Emily reached out and unfolded Jaiden's arms. Her fingers slid down to the brunette's hands and gripped them. Emily's hands were cold against Jaiden's and the older girl squeezed them slightly. She had just recognized the look in Emily's eyes when their lips touched and her hands went from Jaiden's to gripping the front of her sweatshirt. Emily initiated a kiss the way she lived; tentative and half expecting a rejection. It took her a few seconds to relax into it and Jaiden pulling her in closer finally assured the now 18 year old that she wanted this.

"We should probably go eat. Your sisters are going to come looking for us." Emily pulled back and looked up at Jaiden bashfully. The taller of the two tilted her head to the side and couldn't help but notice the term "sisters". Deciding not to comment on it, Jaiden nodded in agreement and willed the blush in her cheeks to go away.

"We probably should." She agreed. Careful to avoid accidentally skimming Emily's wrist, she slid one hand down to interlock their fingers. The two girls walked back down the hallway together and Jaiden didn't let go even when they had gotten to the kitchen.

 ** _Sorry for the wait. Don't forget to review!_**


	20. Chapter 20

"Do you think they're alright?" Beca stared at the ceiling nervously; wondering if she should get up and go check on the bedroom down the hall. She had kept a watchful eye on her sister and Emily throughout the night, and if she was being honest, she was making herself anxious. Chloe sighed against her neck and wrapped the blankets tighter around them both.

"Becs, they're great. I don't think I've seen Jaiden smile as much as she did tonight in the last month."

"They held hands under the table." Beca noted quietly. Chloe smiled and nodded.

"I know. It was sweet. _Emily_ is sweet. So you've got to stop worrying, at least for tonight." Beca rolled over so she could look in her fiancé's eyes and stifled a yawn.

"I wish I could, you know? Just stop worrying. Think about things without having to _know_ how they're going to turn out. I just…I need control, Chlo. And I hate that about myself."

"I don't." Chloe frowned slightly and moved in closer. "Even though it's hard sometimes, I don't hate it. I don't hate anything about you."

"You don't hate me when I'm locked in the bathroom having a panic attack?" Beca asked skeptically. There was a touch of self-deprecation in her tone, and it made Chloe's heart pang to hear it.

"I always love you, Beca. No matter what you're doing or where we are. Nothing will ever change that."

"You seriously haven't gotten upset over everything I've dumped on you in the last few months? With my anxiety, and Jaiden, and now having another girl living with us-"

"I want you and every part of you in my life. End of story." Chloe interrupted her and propped herself up onto her elbows. Before Beca could try to convince herself otherwise again, the redhead pressed her lips against hers and silenced her for a few long moments. And in those moments, both girls couldn't help but realize how long it had been since they had had each other. With that realization came a bit of yearning from both parties. Chloe carefully maneuvered herself so that she could hover above the brunette; still concerned that Beca would still be in pain, and braced herself on either side of her. She gasped as Beca's lips broke away from hers and moved to her neck with surprising aggressiveness. The brunette had been silently frustrated for weeks at how gentle Chloe had been with her since she was attacked, and right now she needed that to end.

"I'm not going to break." Her words vibrated against Chloe's skin, and her face flushed at the feeling.

"Okay." Chloe swiftly straddled the younger girl, sat up, and flung her shirt off.

—

"You good?" Jaiden rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she prepared to leave her room. Not wanting to crowd Emily, she was completely okay with sleeping on the couch for as long as the younger girl wanted to stay. Although it was only 10 pm, it was understandable that the younger girl was tired.

"Yeah, thanks." Emily nodded. She was perched on the edge of the bed, and Jaiden's kitten was currently rubbing against her side; craving attention.

"Okay. Goodnight." The older girl nodded and turned around to leave.

"Wait; where are you going?" Emily's question stopped Jaiden in her tracks and the brunette shrugged.

"I was going to sleep on the couch," She gestured vaguely towards the direction of the living room. "This is, uh, technically the guest room."

"You can stay. I mean," Emily laughed nervously for a moment. "Would you?"

"Are you sure?" Jaiden asked uncertainly.

"Yeah. I mean, we were roommates anyways." Emily turned her attention towards the cat and tried to hide her sheepishness. "But you don't have to if you don't want-"

"No, I do. I just, you know, wanted to give you your space in case you needed it." Jaiden assured her quickly. "Did you take your meds?" God, she was starting to sound like Chloe. Emily nodded, a little taken aback at the reminder, and scooted back on the bed. Jaiden turned off the light switch and then tentatively crawled up next to her. She was a bit taken aback when Emily rested her head on her shoulder.

"Thank you so much." The newly turned 18 year old spoke up softly. Jaiden glanced down at her.

"You're welcome." She replied. Although she knew Emily didn't really need to thank her, she also knew that it made the other girl's anxious thoughts quiet. It was something to quell the never-ending fear that she was a burden. "Goodnight, Em."

—-

By the time Emily woke up, the other side of the bed was empty, except for a note.

 _Appointment with Dr. Wilson at 9:30. Be back later. Don't be afraid to leave the room._

Emily read the note quickly, calming her startled nerves from waking up alone in an unfamiliar place. The brunette then checked her phone and winced when she saw seven missed calls from her mother. She should have known that the older woman would start trying to get back in touch with her sooner or later. Guilt began to creep into the back of Emily's mind as she stared at the notifications on the small screen. She debated unlocking her phone and calling her back until the memory of her mother's harsh words flashed through her head. The 18 year old dropped the phone in the mess of blankets on the bed and left the room before she could change her mind again.

"Hey." Emily jumped, having not seen Beca sitting at the kitchen counter, and then tried to not look like her heart was pounding out of her chest. To say that the older girl intimidated her would be an understatement, no matter how many times Jaiden had assured her that Beca was nothing to be afraid of.

"Hi."

"So, we should probably talk, huh?" Beca suggested awkwardly. She patted the stool beside her own and waited for Emily to sit. She looked like a terrified deer, in Beca's opinion.

"What, um, what do you want to talk about?"

"I didn't mean it in, you know, a serious way," Beca reassured the girl. "I just..meant we should kind of get to know each other."

"Oh," Emily breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, that makes sense."

"First of all, I totally get where you're coming from, at least from some aspects. Jay and I didn't necessarily grow up with great parents and uh, I have anxiety so…that's similar." Beca rambled awkwardly.

"Really?"

"Yep." Beca confirmed. "So, you know, you don't have to be all nervous here, even though I know you really can't help it."

"Yeah, that's kind of our whole problem."

"What I also wanted to say," Beca grimaced at how old she sounded. "Is that Chloe and I are here for, you know, whatever you need. We know you've got some, uh, issues and you don't have to hide them. We're all here for you, dude."

"Thank you, so much-" Emily was cut off as Chloe stepped into the room and smiled at the two of them curiously.

"Morning!" The redhead made a bee-line for the coffee machine and grabbed two mugs off of their rack. "How was your first night?"

"It was good. Thank you." Emily replied quickly.

"I was just about to make something for breakfast. Can I get you anything?"

"Uh, whatever you're having is fine." Chloe smiled at the girl's obviously uncomfortable misdemeanor.

"You got it. And here's some coffee to get you going." She set the first mug in front of Emily and then began to brew her own. A knock at the door caused all three of them to freeze for a moment. Chloe and Beca exchanged glances and the older of the two nodded towards the door.

"I'll get it. You two hang out here." Beca took the hint and got up from her stool, leaving her fiancé and Emily alone in the kitchen. The brunette wasn't necessarily sure who could be at the door. It was too early for Jaiden to be back, and she would have her keys anyway. The small girl stood on the balls of her feet to look out the peephole, and then grimaced. Emily's parents were leering in the hallway and Beca watched as they both knocked on the door again. Double knocking; aggressive.

"You need to leave, now." Beca opened the door and kept her voice low; hoping that Chloe would be able to keep Emily occupied in the kitchen. "Seriously. Get out of here."

"We have a right to see our daughter." Her father said.

"Yeah, well, she's 18 now and you kind of lost that right when you drove her over the edge."

"You have no right to accuse us like that!" Mrs. Junk's voice eliminated any chance of not alerting Emily to what was going on and Beca glared at the woman. The small brunette planted her feet firmly in the middle of the doorway.

"Yeah, well, that's your shitty opinion and you're entitled to it." Beca moved to close the door and the man in front of her shoved his foot in the doorway. "Dude, _back off._ "

"Emily!" Mrs. Junk craned her neck around Beca and yelled into the apartment. "Emily, please come home with us."

"If you two don't leave within the next three seconds, I'm calling the police. If she wants to get in touch with you, she will." Beca shoved the two older adults away from her and slammed the door before they could protest. Metal clanked as she quickly turned the deadbolt and slid the chain lock into it's place as well. By the time she turned around, Emily was coming down the hallway with a very worried Chloe behind her.

"My parents are here?" The 18 year old asked quietly. Beca hesitated for a moment before nodding. "What did they say?"

"They wanted to see you. Probably to try to get you to go home." Doubt flashed across Emily's features and she looked past Beca to the door.

"Maybe…maybe I should. They're my parents-"

"Hey, don't do this to yourself." Chloe cut in and tugged the younger girl back down the hallway and into the kitchen; fearing that she'd be able to hear out into the hallway if the Junk's were still out there. She wasn't expecting the brunette to flinch back so harshly from her touch. Emily froze for a second after drawing away and then stared down at the wrist Chloe had merely grazed in absolute shame.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"It's okay." Chloe cut her off with a gentle smile and carefully wrapped her arm around Emily's shoulders. The younger girl seemed okay with that as she was led into the kitchen, though her breathing was still a tad rigid. "Everything's alright."

"You can't go back there, you know." Beca piped up from behind them. "You've got to take care of yourself and from what we've seen, you can't do that when you're living with them."

"I know. They're just…they're my family." Emily mumbled.

"Exactly. And they need to start acting like it." Beca told her firmly. Emily found the older girl's bluntness strangely comforting; it fought against the creeping doubt that usually arose when she told herself the same things.

Let's just take the rest of the day to relax." Chloe suggested as Emily sat back down at the counter. "Jaiden will be home soon and you can talk to her about all of this. I know she's probably easier to open up to than we are."

"Okay. Thank you." Emily looked up from her still steaming mug of coffee and stared at the two girls sincerely.

"Of course." Chloe answered. "We've all got your back here."

 ** _Sorry for the wait guys. Don't forget to review/suggest."_**


	21. Chapter 21

Emily was still on edge by the time the front door opened again; signaling Jaiden's return. The brunette had remained in the kitchen, picking at the toast and eggs that Chloe had made. Truthfully, Emily was fighting the panic in her chest from the moment she had heard her mother's voice and the fact that she was around unfamiliar people wasn't necessarily helping. Truthfully that was why the idea of going home had even popped into her head. She was craving familiarity and even though she would have to face her parents, her room sounded safe. By the time Jaiden stepped into the kitchen, Emily was shaking.

Jaiden took a few seconds to analyze the general feeling in the kitchen and then cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Is everything okay?"

"Well…" Chloe her voice trail off. Jaiden's eyes narrowed at her.

"Well what?"

"It was nothing." Emily said. Jaiden could tell by the look on her face that it wasn't.

"Her parents showed up."

" _What?"_

"I handled it." Beca said defensively. Her younger sister didn't look necessarily relieved. In fact, she looked downright pissed. Jaiden hesitated for a few seconds before picking her keys back up off of the counter.

"I'll be back in a bit." The 18 year old grunted.

"Jaiden, don't. It's fine." Emily hopped off of her bar stool and went after her.

"You're just going to get yourself in trouble." Chloe called after the younger Mitchell. Jaiden stopped begrudgingly as Emily caught her by the wrist and held her back.

"They can't just come over here and harass you." Jaiden argued back. She bristled at the look that Emily gave her, mostly because it quelled her anger. "Fine." She huffed. Emily released her grip and relaxed; grateful that she wasn't going to have to undergo the stress of her sort-of girlfriend trying to fight her parents.

"So," Chloe smiled and tried to lighten the mood. "How was your session?" Jaiden rolled her eyes.

"It was great. Really dug deep today."

"Hey, Sass-Master, cool it." Beca warned with the arch of an eyebrow. It was pretty easy to pick up on the fact that Jaiden was starting to get defensive.

"Sorry," Jaiden feigned the apology and then glanced longingly in the direction of her bedroom. "Look, I got up early and I'm tired. So, I'm going back to bed."

"It's like 10:30 am." Chloe pointed out.

"Yeah." Jaiden nodded and then shuffled down the hallway. A few seconds later, they heard her flop down onto her bed. Emily looked at the older two girls in confusion.

"She sleeps a lot." Beca said. "Actually, probably an unhealthy amount."

"I know. She tried to do it back when…when we were rooming together and the nurses always had to drag her out of bed." Emily admitted. A small smile played at her lips, which she quickly hid.

"So, do you want to do anything?" Chloe offered. She watched the younger girl glance towards the guest room a bit longingly.

"I actually have some classes to catch up with online, so I'll probably just try to get that done while Jaiden's napping." She excused herself politely and hurried off to the room she was sharing with the other girl. Emily let herself in quietly, seeing as that Jaiden was already face down on the bed, and rooted through her bag for her laptop. Unsure of where to sit, the brunette opted to perch on the edge of the mattress and opened up her computer. Thankful that the apartment's wifi didn't have a password and she wasn't going to have to wake Jaiden up, Emily logged onto her school account and started clicking her way through the lessons. She didn't notice her roommate was actually awake until the older girl rolled over to look at her.

"Sorry, was I being too loud?"

"No," Jaiden shook her head quietly. "You're fine. What're you working on?"

"Just school stuff that I missed. Chemistry."

"Hmm." She grunted. "Do you need help?"

"I think I've got it. It's pretty easy." Emily replied. Her cheeks began to burn as Jaiden rested her head against her side and stared at the screen blankly. She wasn't quite used to feeling the other girl in such a close proximity; Jaiden had been relatively physically reserved when they were in treatment together.

"Okay then. Let me know if you, uh, do." She mumbled. Emily paused for a second, waiting for Jaiden to close her eyes again, and then resumed typing in her answers. Once again, she fell under the impression that Jaiden had fallen asleep, but the older girl was still quite conscious. She listened to the tapping of Emily's fingers on the keyboard and kept her eyes shut; content with the lack of conversation between the two of them. It allowed her time to think about the way she was feeling at the moment. Emily's skin was warm against her's, and she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't comfortable. She had been comfortable last night as the younger girl had fallen asleep next to her in bed and Jaiden knew she couldn't ignore that.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" She asked quietly. Emily tensed against her, obviously surprised that she was actually awake, and Jaiden opened her eyes to look up at her. "You don't have to, and you can still stay and everything if you decide to say no. I just…with the way things are between us and everything, I don't want to leave a ton of questions just hanging in the air."

"I do. I mean, yes, I want to be your girlfriend." Emily stammered in reply. She shut her laptop and put it on the nightstand, giving the older girl all of her attention. Jaiden sat up and brushed her hair back out of her face. There were a few seconds of stillness between them before Jaiden leaned over and pressed their lips together. It seemed like every time they kissed, Emily got just a little more confident, and this time there were no thoughts of Stacie as she crawled on top of Jaiden and pushed her back down onto the mattress. The older girl put her hands on Emily's waist before she could even get worried enough to ask whether or not she was "crushing" Jaiden and kissed her back with rising vigor. Emily eventually quit hovering and let her body rest on top of Jaiden's fully. Her heart was racing as Jaiden's fingertips trailed up and down her sides, leaving goosebumps in their path. Her heart practically stopped as Jaiden's hands lifted and moved down to her thighs.

Emily leapt back so quickly that Jaiden wasn't quite sure what had happened for a few seconds. She looked Emily's tense figure up and down, wondering how and why she had gone to stand at the foot of the bed so suddenly. And then she pieced it together and felt sick. Jaiden took a deep breath and clenched her eyes shut.

"I'm sorry, Em. I…I didn't know."

"I'm sorry, I have to go-"

"No!" Jaiden leapt up and blocked the door from the younger girl. "Don't run away. Please."

"I can't do this. This was a mistake."

"No, it wasn't. Emily, please don't. You can trust me. You don't have to run."

"I don't want you to see me." Emily's voice shook and she tried to dodge Jaiden's body desperately. She couldn't get past. "We can't do this."

"I know you cut yourself, Em. You can't hide something that's already out there." Jaiden's words hit Emily like a bullet and the brunette's mind filled with anxious static. She was rigid as she waited for her to keep talking. "We've all got our shit and you know most of mine. I…I don't know how to explain to you that yours aren't going to scare me away or make me not want you as much as I do. I just want you to trust me. Please, just trust me." Jaiden pleaded. She moved closer to Emily, who had now chosen to stare at the floor.

"I'm sorry." She whispered after a few seconds. Jaiden bit her bottom lip and stared at her helplessly.

"You don't have to be. I just want you to understand what I'm trying to say." Jaiden closed the distance between them again and took a chance by gripping Emily's arms. "You can't make me stop loving you."

Emily's bottom lip trembled and her watery eyes met Jaiden's. "I don't want you to see them. They're…th-they're so bad."

"I don't care how bad they are." Jaiden shook her head. "It's not going to scare me away."

"I-" Emily's voice cut out with a choked up sob. Jaiden's hands slid down her arms and for once, Emily didn't pull back when they reached her wrists.

—-

"I love days like this." Chloe sighed, resting her chin on top of Beca's head. The two were curled up on the couch under a blanket, with Bailey snuggled up at their feet. "I love just being together."

"Yeah, well, you're easy to please." Beca smirked.

"Speaking of; have you thought anymore about, you know, getting married?" The redhead asked tentatively. Beca shifted uncomfortably, having not done any planning, and shrugged.

"Are you going to be mad if I say no?"

"I figured you would, so no. That's why I've been looking." Chloe admitted. "I know we want small and I already sort of reserved the auditorium Friday night next week…if that's okay with you." She glanced down to see Beca staring up at her wide-eyed.

"Dude, you picked our wedding date without us?"

"I knew you wouldn't!" Chloe replied defensively. "And I just…I don't want to put this off any longer."

"I haven't even gotten you an engagement ring yet!"

"I don't care, Beca," Chloe shook her head. "I just want to be your wife. We could get married in a dump with Ringpops and I'd love it."

"Bullshit. You'd bring it up during every argument we ever have-"

"Not the point!" Chloe interrupted. "I love you. That is the point."

"Yeah, well, I love you too. Even if you are a nerd."

 ** _Sorry for the wait! Running low on inspo so please, feel free to suggest anything you'd like to see and don't forget to review._**


	22. Chapter 22

"Come on, wake up." Jaiden groaned and begrudgingly opened her eyes to find Chloe staring down at her. "We're going running again."

"No thanks." Jaiden mumbled.

"No choice." Chloe pulled the tired girl out of bed and forced her to her feet, much to Jaiden's dismay. The small struggle woke the bed's other inhabitant and she blinked a few times in sleepy confusion.

"Is everything alright?" Emily asked groggily.

"Yep. Jaiden and I are just going for our run, if you'd like to join us." Chloe said.

"No thanks." With that, the brunette rolled over and buried her face back into the pillow. Unable to blame her, Jaiden shrugged and turned back to Chloe.

"Let me get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs." Jaiden sighed. The older girl nodded and bounded out of the bedroom.

—-

10 minutes later, Jaiden stepped into the lobby and put her headphones in before Chloe could strike up a conversation. The two girls stepped out into the freezing morning air and took off down the street at a steady pace. It was barely light out and dark clouds hung low in the sky. There was something about the weather that set an uneasy feeling into the atmosphere and Jaiden tried to ignore it as they turned street corner after street corner. When she finally glanced over at her running partner, the look on Chloe's face showed that she felt it too.

Once the two girls had reached the one-mile mark, they slowed down to a stop and took out their headphones. Jaiden was the first one to catch her breath enough to speak.

"Does something feel off today?" Chloe nodded, still panting, and glanced around.

"Yeah, I don't really know what it is, but yeah." The older girl breathed out. "Let's head back." Jaiden nodded in agreement and put her headphones back in before taking off.

—-

"Hey," Beca looked up from her newspaper at the sound of footsteps and smiled slightly at the exhausted teenager in her kitchen. "Sleep good?"

"Alright, I think. Is Jaiden back yet?"

"Nah, they normally take their time." Beca said. "Do you want to head out to breakfast?" Emily debated the offer for a few seconds before nodding.

"Yeah, um, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Go ahead and get ready." The older girl replied. She watched Emily retreat back down the hallway and took out her phone once she was gone.

 _Em and I are going out to breakfast. See you when we get back._

Beca sent the message to her fiancé and then searched the apartment for her keys. By the time she found them in between the couch cushions, Emily had walked back out dressed in jeans and a hoodie.

"Let's roll." Beca nodded towards the doorway and swung her keys around her index finger. She and Emily slipped on their shoes and jackets silently and then left the apartment.

"So, what sounds good?" Beca asked once they had backed out of the parking lot and onto the street. Emily chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds, unsure of how to answer. She was always worried about picking the wrong thing when making a decision. Dr. Wilson had assured her many times that she wasn't be scrutinized nearly as much as she thought she was, but it was easy to doubt that.

"Wherever you usually go is good with me." Feeling safe with her answer, Emily relaxed and turned her attention towards the window.

"Pancakes it is then." Beca decided. The tiny brunette turned the car around the corner in the direction of iHop. A light drizzle began, and she turned on the wipers, hoping that Chloe and Jaiden would get home before it got too bad. "So, Chloe and I are getting married next Friday. Would you maybe want to go to that?" Beca asked after a bit of silence.

"You are?" Emily's eyebrows rose and she looked over at Beca. "That's amazing. I mean, yeah, sure, I'd love to go."

"Good. Now Jaiden probably won't complain when we make her go."

"Not a fan of weddings?" Emily said.

"Not really a fan of family functions in general." Beca admitted. "I mean, she has good reasons to. The last wedding she went to was, uh, when our mother got remarried."

"Oh," Emily's eyes widened in realization.

"Yeah. That's one of the reasons we're not going really big with this one." Beca explained. "It's just going to be where Chloe and I met and a couple of the girls from the Bella's."

"Who're the Bella's?"

"I figured Jaiden would have brought them up." Beca frowned slightly. "That's the acapella group we were all in. I joined my freshman year because of Chloe, and she got Jaiden to join at the beginning of her's. We had to take a break this year because of, you know, everything. But we're still really close with most of the girls."

"Is that where she met Stacie?" Beca's hands tightened around the steering wheel slightly at the mention of the name.

"Yep. Didn't really know you knew about her."

"Jaiden talked a lot about her in treatment. She seemed pretty…pretty in love with her."

"She was." Beca agreed. "But I think she's moved on finally."

"Really? She doesn't act like it half the time." Emily mumbled. The older girl turned to glance at her for a few seconds as she braked at a stop sign.

"I know. And it's not really just because of what happened with Stacie. I think it was just another thing added on to the list of reasons why she's afraid to get close to anyone."

"I'm sure it's a long list by now."

"It is," Beca sighed and pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "Come on, we'll analyze my sister more once we're seated." She got out of the car, trusting that Emily would follow. The two hurried inside out of the rain and were seated practically immediately in a booth towards the back of the restaurant. They kept the conversation trivial until after their waitress had come and taken their orders.

"So, uh, are you guys getting along okay, though?" Beca asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah. I think I just make her…nervous or something. And she makes me-" Emily cut herself off, realizing how much she was sharing with someone who was still relatively a stranger. Beca noticed the sudden lack of confidence and sympathized with it.

"She makes you what?" She encouraged.

"I don't know. I guess she makes me nervous too. I've never r-really been that, um, good at being close to someone. I've never really ever been close to someone, actually." She stammered out. Beca smirked wryly and sipped at her coffee again.

"You might have more in common with her than you think."

"Yeah, well, that might not be a good thing." Emily reasoned. Just then, their waitress appeared holding two full plates and set them down in front of the girls. Beca thanked her and then turned her attention back to Emily.

"Just take it slow. She'll come around. She did for me, and I didn't really think that was possible." Beca advised. "And, you know, you can always come to Chloe and I if you need advice. Between the two of us, we're pretty good with her."

"Thanks." Emily said sincerely. Oddly comfortable with how personal the conversation had gotten, she looked down at her plate and started on her breakfast.

—

"You didn't think to check the weather before we left?" Jaiden glared over at her running partner and shut the apartment door behind them. Raindrops streamed down her face, blurring her vision every few seconds, and water dripped onto the hardwood at her feet.

"It wasn't supposed to rain until later!" Chloe replied defensively. "Don't blame me for the rain."

"I can blame you for getting me out of bed this morning." The girl grumbled.

"Endorphins are good for you!"

"Sleep is also good for you."

"Don't be such a grump." Chloe scolded. The two bickering girls kicked off their running shoes and began to leave a trail of raindrops into the apartment.

"No, I'm going to be a grump, because I'm covered in sweat and rain and I'm freezing." Jaiden grunted. "No thanks to you."

"I'm literally in the same position and I'm not acting like a newly woken grizzly bear. You better perk up if you want to keep your girlfriend around."

"Whoa," Jaiden tensed and shook her head. "I-what? I never said she was my girlfriend."

"I saw you guys kissing a while ago." Chloe smirked. "So I'm just going to go ahead and guess that you two are dating."

"Chloe, listen; don't. I'm like, not super confident about the situation." Jaiden replied seriously. The redhead's feisty attitude softened.

"I was only joking," She assured the younger girl.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't. I don't know about this whole thing, Chloe. I don't know how to help her to not be so scared of everything." Jaiden admitted. "And she's so embarrassed by…by, you know, her self-harm stuff."

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yeah. Last night. It was just really stressful. I don't know what goes on in her head and I need to."

"Yeah, well, now you know how I felt trying to get your sister to open up." Chloe chuckled. "Give her time. Push when you need to. Don't draw away, because she'll definitely blame herself."

"What if I mess up and hurt her and then she hurts herself?"

"Don't mess up."

"I can't _help_ it." Jaiden's said; exasperated. "

"Yes you can. And I've got your back. If things get hard, just let me know and I'll try to help." Chloe told her softly. Unable to come up with another possible bad outcome on the spot, Jaiden nodded in acceptance, wondering if things maybe _could_ work out.

"Well, thank you." She muttered. "I'm going to go get a shower." Jaiden nodded curtly and walked down the hallway, into her bathroom.

 ** _Sorry this is kinda short, but happy new year and suggestions are REALLY welcome because i've been really low on inspiration lately._**


	23. Chapter 23

Mrs. Junk paced anxiously in the lobby of the apartment building. She had seen her daughter leave with the older Mitchell girl a while ago and had emerged from her parked car to wait for their return. She just knew those girls from the apartment wouldn't let her in to see her daughter, so she would have to intercept her before they could lock her away.

She just needed to talk to Emily and then her daughter would come home. Mrs. Junk would apologize and explain that things would be better at home. She had even left her husband back at the house so that he couldn't overwhelm her with his temper.

—

"Thanks again for taking me out to breakfast." Emily shut the passenger side door and smiled honestly at Beca over the top of the car. The rain had lifted to a light drizzle, but the two women still hurried back into the apartment building to avoid the cold drops. Emily was so distracted by the raindrop that had managed to fall into her left eye that she didn't notice something was wrong until Beca grabbed her upper arm in an attempt to keep her still. Emily wiped the water from her eye, frowned in confusion, and then noticed the woman approaching them.

"Mom?" The brunette breathed out nervously.

"Emily. Oh, Em, it's so good to see you." Beca watched the older woman with wary eyes as she pulled her stiff daughter into a hug. The embrace was not returned.

"What are you doing here?" Mrs. Junk turned towards Beca in surprise and tried to hide her obvious distaste.

"I came to speak with my daughter."

"I think she's made it pretty clear that-"

"Beca, it's alright." Emily cut in. "What do you want, Mom?"

"Sweetie, please come home. At least _think_ about it." Mrs. Junk begged. "Why don't you come and have dinner with us tonight? You can even bring your, um, friend if you'd like." She glanced towards Beca again and then back at Emily hopefully.

"I don't know, Mom." Emily sighed. "I'll just text you later. Please leave." Mrs. Junk was about to protest, but she bit her tongue when Beca arched an eyebrow challengingly.

"I see. Alright then. I hope to see you tonight." The older woman glanced down at her feet and began towards the exit. Beca made sure she genuinely left the building before she started towards the stairs.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine." Emily replied curtly.

"Well, that sounds like bullshit." Beca said.

"I'm _fine_." The younger girl insisted. Her voice bounced off the walls of the stairwell and Beca noticed her increase her pace as if she was running from the conversation.

"Dude, it's alright that you're upset. She just blindsided you out of nowhere and it kind of looked like she was trying to guilt trip you too." Beca sped up her gate and reached the top of the stairs just as Emily did. The 18 year old pushed her hair back out of her face and huffed.

"Yeah, she was. That's her main weapon. But it's whatever. I'll probably just show up to that stupid dinner and leave." She muttered.

"Are you going to bring your 'friend'?" Beca asked with a slight smirk. She fished her keys out of her back pocket and unlocked the apartment door.

"I doubt she'd let me go by myself." Emily grimaced. The two girls kicked their boots off and glanced around the apartment; unable to tell if their counterparts were home or not. Until, that is, Jaiden emerged out of the hallway wrapped in nothing but a towel. She blinked at the other two in surprise.

"You're home." Jaiden said matter-of-factly. Emily was blushing profusely; looking everywhere and anywhere except the scarcely clad brunette.

"Yep." Beca nodded.

"Everything good?" The younger of the two asked. Beca glanced over at Emily, who was still trying to distract herself, and Jaiden noticed the odd demeanor they both had. "What happened?"

"Well," Beca started out. "Emily's mom was down in the lobby-"

"What?" Jaiden nearly lost her grip on the towel and for a second, Beca was sure that Emily was going to faint right then and there.

"Okay, dude, go get some clothes on. Everything's cool." Beca instructed. Jaiden tightened her grip on the towel and locked her jaw.

"Fine." The 18 year old turned and started back towards her bedroom.

"We shouldn't tell her." Emily blurted out as soon as Jaiden's door shut.

"Why?"

"Cause she'll get upset and she'll want to go to make sure nothing goes wrong-"

"Yeah," Beca nodded in agreement. "She will and you should let her because you're not going over there alone."

"They're my parents." Emily argued. "I think I can handle them by myself."

"Can you?" Beca challenged. The younger girl huffed in despair, knowing Beca was right and had called her bluff. Jaiden emerged again from the hallway; this time dressed in flannel pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt.

"What happened?" She asked seriously.

"My mom showed up, asked me to come home, and wants me to come to dinner at the house tonight." Emily stammered out. Jaiden's gaze darkened.

"No."

"Jay," The younger girl sighed. "It's seriously fine. If I go, they'll lay off-"

"What if they don't? What if they convince… _make_ you stay and then you relapse-"

"I _won't_." Emily snapped. Beca, who had begun to remove herself from the situation by heading for the living room, was honestly surprised by the sharp tone in her voice. The tiny Mitchell just kept on walking; hoping to avoid the awkwardness.

"Em, that wasn't a jab at you." Jaiden said quietly. "I just…you can't blame me for worrying. They set you off. They're your triggers."

"I know myself better than you do, Jaiden. And I know you look at me and see some fragile little kid, but guess what? I don't need you protecting me. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake, because I know I'll be fine at home. I've lived there my whole life-"

"And it didn't do wonders for you." Jaiden responded helplessly. She wasn't sure how she had dug herself into this hole and even worse; she wasn't sure how to get out.

"Yeah, well, you aren't so perfect either."

"Dude, what did I do?" Jaiden shook her head in bewilderment as Emily moved towards the door. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because you're treating me like I'm helpless!" She fired back. Her hand flickered over to the door knob.

"I'm just worried! Please don't go anywhere; I'm sorry." Jaiden pleaded. Surprisingly, there was a flash of fear in her eyes and Emily recognized it. The brunette's tense demeanor softened slightly and she loosened her grip on the door. "Emily, I'm sorry." Jaiden repeated herself. "Please, don't go."

"I'm sorry." Emily whispered. The sudden burst of anger had come out of nowhere and honestly, she wasn't used to voicing her opinion like that. If she had done it at home, it would have resulted in an awful screaming match. Surprisingly, disagreeing with Jaiden felt safe. "I don't…I don't know why I'm being so sensitive."

"No, I'm sorry. You were right and I was being too controlling." Jaiden said immediately. "You can go if you want to…not that you need my permission or anything. I just don't want you to."

"I don't _want_ to either, but if you're really that worried…come with me." Jaiden visibly relaxed at the invitation and nodded her head.

"Yeah, okay, of course. Should I bring anything? Like flowers or something? Do they expect that from guests?" Jaiden rambled.

"Don't do anything that might even hint at the fact that we're together." Emily replied quickly. "I swear, I'm not doing that because of us; it's because of them." Jaiden looked down at the floor and nodded in understanding. Both of them were completely unaware that their entire conversation was being listened to closely.

—-

"Holy shit; I thought we were going to have to intervene." Beca breathed out. She and Chloe were crouched around the corner in the hall; listening to the argument intently Chloe had practically come running for the drama when she heard yelling and Beca had snagged her right before she could involve herself.

"I know. They handled that like healthy human beings." Chloe sounded just as surprised as Beca and they straightened up. Before they could be caught for eavesdropping, the couple hurried down the hall and into the main area of the apartment as quietly as they could.

"I want to congratulate them, but at the same time, it's super creepy that we listened to that entire thing."

"We were just being good, responsible guardians." Chloe reasoned. Her fiancé shrugged and then plopped down on the couch in the living room.

"Yeah; responsible. That's us." She smirked.

 ** _Dramatic dinner scene coming up next chapter. Requests welcome and don't forget to review!_**


	24. Chapter 24

"Is this okay? Not too dressy or formal or…" Jaiden let her voice trail off uncertainly as she straightened her blazer and smoothed down the white dress shirt underneath. She had spent nearly an hour getting ready and Emily had watched her anxiously pace back and forth in their bedroom; fixing her hair and her make-up and just about every aspect of her appearance.

"You look fine, Jay." The brunette assured her. Her girlfriend-the word still felt strange in Emily's mind-looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.

"'Fine' isn't good enough. They have to like me so that they trust me and stop bothering you so much." Jaiden rambled. She shot a panicked glance at the younger girl and then looked at her dresser. "I can't go over there with you like this."

"Like what?" Emily frowned.

"All freaking out like this" Jaiden gestured towards herself and shook her head. "I need to get high." The 18 year old make a move for her dresser and Emily watched silently as she rooted to the back of the top drawer.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Emily asked.

"It's better than this." Jaiden turned around, stuck a rolled joint in her mouth, and flicked the lighter in her hand. A flame shot up from the small device and burnt the end of the rolling paper and Jaiden quickly inhaled and tossed her lighter back into her drawer. "Do you want a hit?" Smoke streamed out of her nose and mouth as she offered the joint to Emily. Before the brunette could even answer, Jaiden pulled her hand back and shook her head.

"No, never mind, I don't want it fucking with your meds." Jaiden muttered.

"Doesn't it do the same thing to you?" Emily replied; a touch of concern sparked by the comment.

"Doesn't seem to." Jaiden shrugged. She took another drag and then walked over to the bedroom window. The 18 year old opened it a crack, letting the cold air stream through, and then blew the smoke outside. "I just need to calm down."

"Jaiden, you don't have to come if you don't want to. I can handle this. They just need calmed down." Emily reminded her.

"I don't want you to go by yourself. I should be there. And even though your relationship isn't great, they're your parents and I feel…I feel like I should go with you."

"Is this your way of saying you're my girlfriend and you feel like you have to meet my parents?" Emily questioned. Jaiden went read in the face and took another hit.

"Maybe."

"Okay then." Emily nodded. "Then we're doing this."

"We're doing this." Jaiden repeated.

"Then let's go."

—

After Jaiden put out her joint and grabbed her keys, the two walked down to the apartment lobby together and locked hands. Jaiden's anxiety had dwelled down and she sunk into a comfortable trance; right at a level where she felt in control and calm. Emily seemed affected by her calm and the two didn't feel the need to talk as they walked to Jaiden's car and got inside. They took their time driving to the younger girl's house and by the time Jaiden parked, she was already starting to overthink things again.

"Ready?" Emily asked. Jaiden killed the engine, straightened her clothes, and straightened her watch; obviously stalling for time. Finally, she made herself get out and hurried around to open Emily's door.

"Ready to act like 'just friends'?" Emily sighed bitterly. Jaiden nodded, planted a quick kiss on her cheek, and then the two began to walk the small sidewalk up to the front door.

"Do we knock or can we just walk in?" Jaiden questioned. Emily suppressed a laugh and opened the door in response. The house was warm and the two girls could immediately smell food as they walked in. Emily led the taller brunette down the hallway and into the kitchen. It took Mrs. Junk a minute to notice that they were there, while Mr. Junk remained oblivious; his face buried in the newspaper.

"Emily!" Her mother exclaimed. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and hurried around the island in the middle of the kitchen. Mr. Junk glanced up at his wife's voice and then noticed the two teenagers. "I'm so glad you came."

"And you brought your friend." Her father noted. Jaiden froze for a second and then forced a smile.

"It's nice to meet you; I'm Jaiden." Her voice shook a little bit and she looked back and forth between the two adults. They exchanged unreadable glances and then Mrs. Junk plastered an obviously fake grin across her face.

"Wonderful to have you, Jaiden. Dinner is almost ready."

—-

"I really hope everything goes okay at Emily's." Beca finished zipping up the fourth dress she had grabbed from the main room of the store and then turned to look in the mirror. Chloe had been voicing her worries about "the dinner" as she had so ominously titled it, instead of focusing on the fact that they were picking out their _wedding dresses._

 _"_ Babe, Jaiden would have gotten a hold of us by now if something was wrong?" The brunette replied. "Also we're kind of getting ready for our wedding and I can't believe I'm saying this but I feel like I'm more focused right now."

"Sorry!" Chloe called from her changing stall. "I think I made a decision. You'll like it. Probably."

"As long as you're in it." Beca smirked to herself and smoothed her hands over the dress she was wearing. As she stared at her reflection, she knew that this was the one. None of the others had jumped out at her like this one and while Beca wasn't big on dresses like this, she liked this one.

"Classy."

"I could have said it'll look better one our floor."

"Beca!" The brunette stifled a laugh and reached around to unzip her own dress. They had promised each other that they wouldn't look at the other's dress before the wedding, so she folded it up and stuck it under the the stack of "no's".

"I'm going to go checkout. I'll meet you in the car." She announced as she slipped back into the clothes she had gone to the store in.

"Alright! I've narrowed it down to two, so, shouldn't be too long." Chloe replied. Beca rolled her eyes, knowing it would in fact take her "too long" to make a decision, and walked out of the changing room.

—

"So, Emily, have you been keeping up with your classes?" Jaiden took a bite of her food and then glanced at Emily's dad when he asked the question. The dinner had been tense so far and Jaiden couldn't tell if her unease was because of the situation or the joint she had smoked before they left. Either way, she had been clinging to Emily's hand under the table for the last 10 minutes.

"Yep. I'll have my GED by next week."

"Good," Her mother beamed stiffly. The older woman scraped at the food on her plate for a moment and then set her fork down. "Em, I hope you know why your father and I were so upset when you moved out."

"Mom…" Emily warned subtly.

"Let your mother speak." Mr. Junk spoke up sternly. Although Jaiden had no logical reason to fear this man, she tensed at the command in his voice and tried to focus on anything and everything else.

"Sorry." Emily apologized quietly.

"Like I was saying," Her mother continued. "We just don't want your morals being… _skewed_ by being exposed to that sort of lifestyle. And believe us, Jaiden, it isn't personal against you or your sister. We just don't agree with…with homosexuality."

"Mom, can you please stop?"

"No," Jaiden interrupted. She let go of Emily's hand and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's alright. But I want you to know, Mrs. Junk, that my sister is a better person than you think. And her and her fiance, Chloe; they're getting married next week. And I…I have never seen love between two people as strong as their's. And you may _think_ that they're going to Hell, or God says it's an abomination, but it's also love. Which I'm pretty sure the man on the cross over there," Jaiden nodded towards the crucifix on the far wall of the kitchen. "Valued above all the other things."

"Young lady, I think you're a little out of line." Mr. Junk glowered from his chair and his angry eyes flickered towards his daughter. "Emily, this is exactly the kind of mentality we were worried about-"

"No, Dad, she's right." Emily, for the first time in her life, interrupted her father. And from their matching shocked expressions, she was as shocked at her outburst as he was.

"Emily, how could you say that? That's not what we raised you to-"

"No, it's not, but somehow I'm still in love with Jaiden, so…" The weight of the admission rested on the four at the dinner table and Jaiden felt like her heart was in her throat.

"What?" Mr. Junk asked through gritted teeth. He stood up and Jaiden squeezed Emily's hand like a lifeline.

"We're in love, Dad. And it had nothing to do with being around Beca and Chloe or anything like that. It isn't some perverted sex phase. I love her." Emily's voice, for once, didn't waiver. Neither did her gaze; she was staring her father dead in the eye.

"You are not going back to that apartment!" Mrs. Junk's voice rose and she stood up as well. Emily followed, tugging Jaiden up with her, and she refused to let go of the older girl's hand. Jaiden hardly noticed because of the building fear in the back of her mind. The situation was just a little too familiar.

"Yeah, well, you can't stop me." Emily said.

"No," Mr. Junk reached out and grabbed Jaiden by the shoulder. The brunette froze in his grip. "Get the hell out of our house and stay away from our daughter. We'll be filing a restraining order."

"Dad, let go of her!"

"Be quiet!" The older man snarled. The rage in his voice was enough to send Jaiden over the edge and it was only Emily that noticed the color drain from her face. All of her frustration at her parents dissipated and she pulled Jaiden out of her father's grasp quickly.

"Don't get in touch. Don't come near us. I'm done." The two teenagers made their way to the front door as fast as they could and nearly fell over trying to get their shoes on. Jaiden's hands were shaking and she barely managed to get in the car and fish her keys out before the tears started pouring down her face. Stifling a sob, she started the engine and whipped out into the street.

 ** _Little bit of drama for you guys there, mixed with some wedding planning. Suggestions/feedback are/is SOOOO welcome. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!_**


	25. Chapter 25

"Jaiden, please just pull over."

"No."

" _Please,"_ Emily begged. Seeing Jaiden cry was a rare occurrence; which made it all the more frightening for Emily to witness. And while she normally trusted Jaiden's driving, the older girl was going a lot faster than she normally did.

"Fine," Jaiden hit the brakes and slid in next to the curb before throwing it into park. "What?"

"I just need you to calm down."

"I am calm."

"You're not." Emily nervously reached across the console and gripped Jaiden's hand tightly. The other girl tensed and shrugged away from her touch.

"Well of course I'm fucking not!" Jaiden snapped. "I just ruined your relationship with your parents."

"What?" Emily frowned. "You…you think that?"

"Of course I do!" Jaiden slammed her hands onto the steering wheel and clenched her eyes shut. "You guys wouldn't have fought if I had just kept my mouth shut-"  
"Jaiden; stop. You're acting like we had some great relationship before tonight and we didn't. They were being so ignorant and I didn't want to have to hide the fact that I'm with you from anyone."

"Emily, don't. I'm not…I'm not worth that. You shouldn't have to defend yourself because of me. Your life has just gotten harder since you met me-"

"Are you serious? Jaiden, shut up." The older girl was cut off as Emily unbuckled her seatbelt and crawled across the car. She straddled Jaiden's lap and the 18 year old stared up at her in upset confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Shut up." Emily repeated herself and then leaned down to kiss her. "I love you. Stop doubting that and stop being so scared." She pulled back just enough to mumble the encouragement. Jaiden put her hands on the younger girl's hips and nodded hesitantly.

"Okay. I'm sorry. We should get going again."

"No." Emily shook her head and settled into her position on the older girl's lap. Jaiden was a bit taken aback at the feverishness on her lips and she tried to ignore the heat that shot through her body. That attempt seemed to be rather useless when the brunette started pulling at the buttons on Jaiden's shirt.

"Em," She pulled back and took a deep breath; willing all of her self control to present itself in the moment. "I don't…I don't think we should."

"Why? Don't you want to?"

"No, I mean, I want to." Jaiden replied quickly. "But…you deserve better than my car and-"

"I don't care where it happens as long as I'm with you." Emily assured her. The younger girl's fingers started on the buttons again and Jaiden sighed; clenching her jaw. She couldn't say no to this.

"Get in the back." Jaiden murmured finally. Emily lifted herself up slowly and crawled into the backseat. The older girl hesitated for a moment before following her and hovering over Emily. "Are you sure?"

"Jaiden, please, I want this."

"I just…you deserve so much better than this. Your first time…it should be special." Jaiden sighed. "You have no idea how much I want this right now. But…I just can't."

"Then take me somewhere you can." Jaiden blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the persistence the other girl showed. She wracked her brain for somewhere- _anywhere-_ better than her car. Emily's fingertips were trailing paths on the back of her neck, which made it all the more difficult to think.

"I can get a room for the night. We'll have to run back home so I can get some stuff. Are you completely sure about this.?"

"Yes," Emily crawled out from under her and practically leapt back into the front seat. "Come on; let's go."

"Em, what has gotten into you tonight? I've…I've never seen this side of you." Jaiden followed her up and started the engine.

"Do you know how long I've been wishing I could do what I did tonight?" Emily tilted her head to the side and stared at her girlfriend as she pulled back out onto the street. "To finally stand up to my parents like that? For as long as I can freaking remember, Jaiden."

"So you're…happy?"

"I think so, yeah." The younger girl nodded. Jaiden bit her bottom lip, feeling the residual guilt from what had happened at the dinner fading away.

—-

Chloe and Beca had already gotten home and hid their dresses from each other when Jaiden and Emily rushed through the front door.

"Hey," Beca hopped up from her spot at the kitchen table and met the two at the hallway entrance. Out of everyone, she had been the most nervous about the dinner. "Everything go alright?"

"Yeah," Jaiden nodded. Emily brushed around her and headed towards their room, presumably to start packing an overnight bag. "Can I talk to you in private for a second?" She pulled her older sister out of the kitchen and into her and Chloe's bedroom.

"Dude, what's going on? Are you okay?" Beca asked worriedly.

"Everything's fine. Emily told her parents that we're together and that they can totally fuck off. And now we're going to go get a room at the Super 8 for the night."

"Jaiden," Beca's eyes widened. "You're not pressuring her-"

"Of course not." Jaiden rolled her eyes, a bit irritated at the insinuation. "I'm doing everything right. We'll be back in the morning, okay?"

"Alright. Have fun." Beca chuckled.

"Thanks, you're the best." Jaiden hugged her quickly and then practically ran down the hallway to her room. A very puzzled Chloe was waiting outside when Beca walked out.

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh God, yeah. They're getting a hotel room for the night. Parents are out of the picture now."

" _What? They're going to do it?"_ Chloe whispered excitedly.

"You're abnormally excited about that and it's creepy." Beca pointed out. "This also means we have the place to ourselves tonight."

"I guess we do." Chloe winked. "Oh, well. I guess I'm just going to get a shower and get to bed early." The redhead shrugged and started into their bedroom, knowing Beca would follow close behind.

—

"Ready to go?" Jaiden threw her duffel bag over her shoulder and glanced around the room for anything else they might need. She had snagged her stash from the dresser, as well as her fake ID, and had left Emily in charge of grabbing the less illegal things.

"Yeah, come on, let's go." Emily nodded and took her hand.

45 minutes and one stop at a liquor store later, Jaiden had two room keys in her left hand and Emily's hand in her right. The two of them walked down the hallway of the motel, each of them feeling the tension building, and Jaiden's hands fumbled as she unlocked their door.

"Do you still want to do this?" The older girl asked. She sat down their things and started rummaging through the bag. "Cause we could just listen to music or-"

"Stop trying to talk me out of this." Emily cut her off and started to pull Jaiden towards the bed. "Stop being so nervous, baby."

"Sorry," Jaiden laughed breathlessly. "I just…I really love you, Em." The younger girl blushed and took the small speaker that Jaiden had pulled out of their bag.

"I love you too." The long haired brunette turned on the small device and reached into Jaiden's back pocket to grab her phone. Music started to play softly as Emily pressed Play and then set the electronics aside. Her hands then reached up to rest on Jaiden's shoulders and their lips collided. Emily wasn't as aggressive as she was in the car, something Jaiden found solace in. It reassured her that the younger girl truly did want to give herself to Jaiden like this.

 ** _Sexy times :). Wasn't sure if you guys are up for smut so I didn't make this chapter too R-rated. Requests/feedbacks/suggestions are so, so welcome!_**


	26. Chapter 26

Chloe loved having sex with Beca. And not just for the super obvious, "she's totally hot and good in bed" reasons. It was because Beca was usually such a closed off person; even when they were curled up on the couch or spooning in the middle of the night, Beca was still just the tiniest bit guarded. She let that last tiny bit of herself go when Chloe took her to bed. The unabashed moans and fingernails dragging down her back set Chloe's skin and mind on fire. The brunette's lips on her neck and the way she could feel it when she smirked against her skin when Chloe's back would arch at her touch.

"I can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you." The redhead sighed contently. Her fingers brushed through Beca's messy locks, as the brunette's head was resting on her bare chest.

"I know. How did you get so lucky?"

"Watch it, Mitchell."

"Sorry. I meant how did _I_ get so lucky?" Beca corrected herself and pulled their comforter tighter around her shoulders. "Sometimes I just get so enamored by you that I mess up my words-"  
"Alright," Chloe chuckled. "Too much."

—-

"Em, please open the door." Jaiden rested her forehead against the locked bathroom door and sighed. Emily had shut herself in over 20 minutes ago and refused to come out. The moment Jaiden had started to pull off the younger girl's shirt, she had bolted.

"I know what this is about, and it's okay."

"You do?" Emily's voice was small and muffled from behind the door. Jaiden could hear how ashamed she was, and it made her chest ache.

"We don't have to do this. It's okay if you're not ready. But if it…if it's because of your scars…I think you should come out."

"I can't."

"You can," Jaiden assured her. "Just open the door and I promise you; everything will be okay. You don't have to be scared. Not with me." There were a few seconds of tense silence and Jaiden was beginning to wonder if she had pushed too hard when she heard the click of the door unlocking. Taking the opportunity, Jaiden opened the door before Emily could change her mind.

"I'm sorry-" Emily was cut off as Jaiden shushed her.

"Don't. You don't have to say that. I just…I want you to know how much I love you. I mean…I love _every_ single part of you." The older girl assured her. She took Emily's hands and slowly pulled her out into the bedroom again. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to, but if you…if you still want to…"

"I do, I just don't know if I can." Emily whispered. Jaiden released one of her hands and reached up to stroke her cheek.

"If this is what you want, we'll take it slow." The older girl waited until she nodded in confirmation and then kissed her gently. She could practically feel Emily's heart thudding in her chest as they slowly moved backwards towards the bed. A familiar song started from the Bluetooth speaker and it took a few seconds for Jaiden to realize it was from the album Emily had played the first time she had come to the apartment. Somehow the music was comforting to both of them, and Jaiden felt her girl relax in her arms. She pulled back as the back of Emily's knees hit the mattress and being that her shirt had been discarded a while ago, Jaiden unclasped her own bra; willing to be the first one exposed. Emily's hands trailed across her bare hips and Jaiden couldn't help but shiver at the feeling. The younger girl slowly lowered herself down onto the bed, her eyes never leaving Jaiden's bare torso the entire time. Jaiden waited until she seemed situated and then carefully hovered over her. She was just about to kiss Emily when, to her surprise, she sat up enough to slowly remove her own shirt.

Scared to look at Jaiden's reaction, Emily averted her eyes for a few seconds; only forcing herself to look up when Jaiden kneeled on the edge of the mattress. To her own slight disbelief, she found nothing but subtle adoration in the dark haired girl's gaze.

"I know you won't believe me, but you are the most beautiful thing I've ever had in my life." Jaiden muttered. Her eyes got darker and darker the longer she looked at Emily; arousal pooling in their depths.

"You're right; I don't." Emily replied. Her nerves were beginning to fade, as she felt nothing but astounding security being uncovered in front of the older girl.

"Well, maybe tonight will change that." Jaiden arched and eyebrow and leaned down to kiss her firmly. She rested a hand on either side of Emily; holding herself just above the other woman's body. Emily's hands ran up and down her sides, feeling the parts of Jaiden she had never touched before. And for Jaiden; every inch of flesh she touched felt like it was on fire.

—-

Jaiden had never understood what people really meant by the term "making love" until she had Emily's head resting on her sternum and the feeling of her arm wrapped tightly around her waist. The younger girl's breathing was still a bit labored, and the sound of her moans still rang in Jaiden's ears.

She might have "loved" Stacey, and she knew she had at least been infatuated with the older woman, but she had never been in love with anyone like she was with Emily. It felt like a privilege to hold her in her arms and press her lips to her skin. Hearing her gasp tied Jaiden's stomach in incredibly sensitive knots and she couldn't even count how many times it had sent goosebumps rising across her own flesh.

"Thank you." Jaiden glanced down in surprise, drawn out of her own thoughts.

"For what?"

"This," Emily nestled closer to Jaiden and buried her face in the crook of her neck. "Just…tonight."

"So, you don't regret it?"

"Regret it? What? Do you?" Emily lifted her head to look at her and frowned in concerned confusion.

"Of course not, no. I just…I didn't want you to." Jaiden assured her. Emily laid back down on her and sighed contently.

—-

"So, what do you think happened at that dinner tonight?" Chloe yawned tiredly. Pillow talk was definitely a past time that Beca wouldn't want to admit that she enjoyed, but she did. Chloe was one of the only people that conversation felt effortless with and staring into those blue eyes across from her in bed was the most comforting situation she could imagine.

"I don't know. Jaiden just said that the parents were out of the picture and they were going to get a room."

"Way to be vague," Chloe groaned. "We're pathetic. Those two are like our own personal romance novel."

" _Your_ personal romance novel." Beca corrected her.

"So, you don't think they're cute?"

"It's not that I don't think they're _cute;_ I'm just not overly interested."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe demanded.

"You creep on them, dude!" Beca's eyes crinkled as she laughed at her fiancé's obviously offended reaction. "However, I'll admit, the fact that you care that much is kind of cute."

"They're like little, tiny versions of you and me."

"I'm pretty sure they're taller than us." Beca pointed out.

"You know what I mean! Emily's all sweet and enamored by her and Jaiden's all…you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe rolled her eyes at Beca's defensive question.

"You know exactly what it means."

"Yeah, well, obviously we're doing something right because you and Emily fell for it." Beca's smirk reappeared and she rolled over to bury her face in the pillows. "Am I'm super glad that you did."

—-

"Em?" Jaiden glanced down at the still form beside her. "Em? Are you asleep?" When the brunette didn't respond, Jaiden slipped out from beneath her, careful not to wake her up, and walked to the bags they had left by the door. As quietly as she could, Jaiden pulled a bottle of whiskey out of the one from the liquor store and opened it.

After slipping on her discarded clothes and making sure she had a room key, Jaiden tip-toed out of the motel room and took a breath of fresh air. Her chest burned after taking the first drink from the bottle in her hand and she sighed. Something was gnawing in the back of her mind; reminding her of all the mistakes she had made and how she might not deserve the girl sleeping on the other side of the door. With the way she had treated Beca, and Chloe, and Stacie, and her father, and even Cici; how could she trust that she wouldn't hurt Emily too? Dr. Wilson's warnings rang in her ears and she couldn't help but grip the bottle a little harder.

Jaiden was getting nervous. And when she got nervous, she ran, because Jaiden was a runner. Because when she ran, she didn't have to see the aftermath of it; if there even was one. With Ted and her mother, she could disappear for days at a time when things got hard and they barely seemed to notice.

For a split second, Jaiden considered it. She considered getting in her car, leaving a note and a bit of cash, and hitting the road again. But then she thought of her sister and the phone call she had gotten from Chloe the last time she tried to leave and she knew that she couldn't. She couldn't just keep hurting people to try to save herself. Nevertheless, she had to take four more drinks before she could talk herself into going back inside.

Jaiden's jaw locked when she saw the sleeping lump in the bed and she set the bottle down on the table. A bit dizzy from the whiskey, she walked over to her side unsteadily and hit the lights beside the bed. A few seconds after she crawled back under the blankets, she felt a half-conscious Emily curling up at her side and for a moment, she felt just a little bit better.

 ** _Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!_**


	27. Chapter 27

"Hey Jaiden, can we talk for a second?" Jaiden's stomach dropped at the request and she glanced up from her coffee as Chloe entered the kitchen. She and Emily had made it back to the apartment around 8; just in time for Beca to take the younger girl to her therapy session at the hospital. Beca had mostly offered because from the look on her sister's face, there hadn't been a lot of sleeping for either of them.

"I guess…" Jaiden's voice trailed off nervously and she scratched the back of her neck. The redhead sat down next to her at the counter and paused, which only added to Jaiden's discomfort.

"Well, your sister and I were talking last night," Chloe started out. "And while I know she'd never ask you because she wouldn't want to upset you; I'm going to tell you that she really wants your father there to give her away." Jaiden's eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip. Unable to figure out how to reply at first, she cracked a joke.

"He already gave me away, so, it only makes sense."

Chloe didn't look even mildly amused. Jaiden's face reddened and she looked away.

"I was kidding. Beca can have whoever she wants. It isn't even up to me; it's your wedding." The 18 year old shrugged nervously. She took another sip of her coffee and silently willed Chloe to take the win and leave. Of course, the redhead stayed right where she was.

"You're obviously not okay with it."

"I'm fine." Jaiden snapped. "I'm not…I'm not scared of him. I just…he stopped really being my dad when all that stuff happened. I don't want him in my life, but I'd never try to stop Beca from letting him in her's." The brunette stood up from her stool, taking her coffee with her, and started towards the doorway. "Just drop it."

"Jaiden," Chloe got up and went after her; an action that irritated Jaiden to no end. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset. I just don't want to talk about this anymore." Jaiden kept walking and turned into her bedroom with her soon-to-be sister-in-law right behind her.

"Hey, don't shut yourself up like this." Chloe's voice softened and she shut the door behind her in case Beca and Emily got back any time soon. "What's going on? Something's obviously up."

"Don't do this. Nothing's wrong."

"I'm not going to leave you alone, so you might as well talk to me." Chloe warned.

"I fucked Emily!" Jaiden blurted out. "I took her fucking virginity at a cheap motel and she doesn't see anything wrong with that!"

"Jaiden," Chloe frowned.

"You don't get it, Chloe. She looks at me like I'm some perfect person and thinks I deserve her and I don't."

"Whoa," Chloe pulled Jaiden over to her bed and sat down with her on the edge of the mattress. She could tell by the look on her face that she honestly believed the things she was saying. "What are you talking about? Did you two fight this morning?"

"No," Jaiden shook her head. "I just…I don't know. I tried to talk her out of it last night and she wouldn't listen so I got us a room and…and I should have done it differently. She's this innocent, perfect person and it doesn't feel right. I shouldn't be with her. She deserves someone better, who's going to take better care of her."

"Hey, no, you can't psych yourself out like this." Chloe said as she wrapped an arm around the 18 year old; a meager attempt at consoling her. "Jaiden, you have a guilt problem. And if you let yourself panic like this, it's going to come between you and Emily. I think that you're just in love with her and it's scaring you, so you're trying to make up excuses for why you shouldn't be with her."

"I don't have to make up excuses when there are valid reasons."

"Okay, give me some." Chloe challenged. Jaiden paused for a second, and then began to count on her fingers.

"We both have problems. We met in a psych ward. Her parents literally disowned her for being with me. If I do something wrong and hurt her, she could hurt herself. She's all nice and probably would never hurt a fly and…" Jaiden choked on her words and she stared down at her extended hands. "I killed someone."

"Hey," Chloe's blue eyes darkened and she shook her head. "No, we talked about that. You were protecting me and Beca and yourself."

"I still hit her. I could have stopped and I didn't."

"You're not a bad person, Jaiden. I don't know how else to say it, but you're not. Emily knows that." Chloe said softly. "She loves you. We all do."

"I can't shake the feeling from that night, Chloe." She admitted. "Any time I stop thinking about it, the guilt is still there. It's just in the back of my head and it stays there until I have enough alone time to start thinking about it again."

"Are you talking to your doctor about it?"

"No." Jaiden muttered. "I…I don't know what to say about what I actually did. It's not like I want to talk about it. It won't help me to stop remembering."

"You'll never if she can help you unless you tell her." Chloe chastised gently. "The whole point of you going to therapy is so you can find better ways to deal with what happened to you."

"But I don't want to _deal_ with it," Jaiden argued; frustration evident in her voice. "I want to forget it."

"Well, you won't. There's no magic way to do that. You can't just forget things, even if they're horrible." Chloe said.

"You'd be surprised at what I can block out."

"Jaiden," The redhead sighed, beginning to feel a bit of her own frustration, and squeezed Jaiden's shoulder. "Please, just tell Dr. Wilson about this. You have nothing to lose."

"Fine." Jaiden slouched a bit in defeat and drained the rest of her coffee. She was about to get up when the older girl stopped her with a light hand on her arm.

"What?" Jaiden mumbled. It was obvious she was more than ready to distance herself from the uncomfortably intimate conversation, which is why Chloe didn't let her.

"Give me a hug."

"Chloe," Jaiden groaned.

"It won't kill you." The blue eyed woman teased. Reluctantly, Jaiden allowed herself to be embraced by her sister's girlfriend and she hugged her back after a few hesitant seconds.

—

An hour later, Jaiden was curled up on the couch under a blanket and Chloe was busy at the kitchen counter making the last arrangements for the wedding. Neither one of them noticed much when the apartment door opened and their counterparts entered.

Emily had been surprised at how calm she felt after spending the morning with Beca. Despite how intimidated she had initially been by Jaiden's sister, she found a surprising sense of security in her. Beca and Jaiden had such similar personalities, it was easy for Emily to feel closer to the older girl despite not knowing her for very long.

"Hey," Beca pecked her soon-to-be wife on the cheek and snagged a sip of her coffee. The redhead looked mildly stressed, to say the least, but she still perked up and smiled at the sight of Beca.

"Hey, baby. So, I talked to Jaiden this morning."

"About what?"

"Your father coming to our wedding."

"Chloe," Beca hissed; not wanting Jaiden to hear them talking about this. "I told you not to bother her about it. It's complicated-"

"No, it's not. She's alright with it. She said she would never want to stop you from having him in your life, even if she doesn't want him in hers." Chloe assured her calmly. Beca arched an eyebrow skeptically.

"She said that?"

"Yep." Despite the nagging feeling that she should probably tell Beca the other half of her conversation with her sister, she also felt that she had an obligation to respect Jaiden's privacy.

"Well, alright." The brunette relented. "Thank you."

"Anything for my girl." Chloe winked.

—

"Hey," Jaiden looked away from the fire in the fireplace that Chloe had lit earlier than morning to see Emily standing in the doorway.

"Hi," She straightened up a bit and tried not to look like she had nearly been asleep. Emily, however, could see the fatigue on her face and chose to lay down next to her, under her blanket.

"How was it?" Jaiden wrapped her arm around Emily so that she could lean comfortably against her. The younger girl in turn draped her own arm around Jaiden's torso and rested her head against her shoulder. Grateful for how relaxed Emily still seemed around her, Jaiden quelled her guilt for the time being.

"It was fine. Didn't really have a lot to talk about."

"Dr. Wilson didn't interrogate you for once?"

"No," Emily laughed. "Surprisingly. I guess she could just tell that I was in a good mood."

"A good mood?" Jaiden glanced at her questioningly. Emily blushed.

"Well, after last night, yeah."

"You have no idea how much better that makes me feel." Jaiden sighed. Her muscles released their last amount of tension and she rubbed her left temple. Emily looked up at her in concern.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I guess I was scared you were going to regret it. A lot happened last night; with you parents and…you know…"

"I'm still happy, Jaiden." Emily assured her. "I promise. Are you?"

"I think so." Jaiden breathed out. And that thought scared her.


	28. Chapter 28

The day of the wedding came quickly, and the Mitchell-Beale apartment was abuzz with nerves and last minute rushing around. While Jaiden wasn't particularly anxious herself, she couldn't help but notice that her sister was practically shaking as she ran around the apartment. Despite the ceremony being small, it seemed to be the idea of getting _married_ that was eating away at Beca's nerves. Commitment never ceased to intimidate her.

"What time are we leaving?" Jaiden popped her head into her sister's bathroom and watched the tiny brunette nearly drop her curling iron in surprise. "Sorry."

"Jesus," Beca breathed out. "Uh, in like, half an hour. I'm just touching this up and then I'll put on my dress and we can go. Did Chloe leave yet?"

"Yep. Aubrey picked her and Em up like, a few minutes ago." Emily and Jaiden had been recruited into assisting the two older girls that morning; their most important job being that they couldn't let them see each other. So, whenever Chloe needed something outside of her designated half of the apartment, Emily went in search of it, and vice-versa.

"Alright, alright. Good. We're doing this." Beca rambled.

"Dude, you gotta calm down. You're going to pass out halfway through your vows."

" _Fuck!"_ Beca's sudden expletive caught her sister off guard and Jaiden watched a look of panic cross her face. "I forgot to write my fucking vows. Oh my God. Oh my God, I'm the worst-"

"Whoa," Jaiden shook her head. "It's alright. We'll do them now while you're finishing up. Calm down." The brunette ran out of the bathroom doorway and grabbed the notebook and pen off of her sister's nightstand. She rummaged through it until she could find a page that Beca hadn't scribbled song ideas onto and went to sit down on the edge of the bathtub.

"Okay, go."

"Uh…Chloe, um, I promise to-"

"No," Jaiden shook her head. "You can't start out like that. It's lame."

"Jaiden! I don't have a lot of time!"

"Okay. Just tell me shit you love about her." Jaiden clicked the pen impatiently and looked up at her panicking sister.

"Uh, her eyes. Her smile. Her voice. Her hands are always warm and she always holds mine when they're cold." Beca blurted out while spraying a thick cloud of hairspray around her head. Jaiden scribbled something down and waited for her to go on.

"I guess she's just like, everything I'm not, you know? I don't know how to say this but she's the parts of me that have always been missing."

"Alright." Jaiden nodded and continued to write feverishly. "I just wrote down everything you just said. You're too untraditional to have some cheesy, pre-written vows. So take this list in case you blank, but just tell her why you love her."

"I can't ad lib my wedding vows, dude!"

"Yeah, you can. Hurry up and change so we can get going." Jaiden stood up, set the scrap of paper on the sink, and hurried to her own room to get ready.

—

"The minister just arrived." Aubrey poked her head into the dressing room Chloe was currently stationed in. The redhead was staring at herself in the mirror; working on keeping her breathing slow. Emily was in the corner, doing the same.

"Is Beca here yet?" The young brunette asked. Which, Chloe could tell, was more of a " _Is Jaiden here yet?"._

"I didn't see their car. Chlo, do you mind if I borrow Emily for a second?" Aubrey replied.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you need."

"Come on," Aubrey waved the 18 year old over towards her and shut the door once they were out in the backstage area.

"So, uh, what did you need?" Emily said.

"Nothing. Just figured you could use a break from Chloe the Hyperactive Bride." The blonde woman shrugged. "So, you and Jaiden are a thing, huh?"

"Yeah, uh, you could say that. And thanks." Emily replied bashfully.

"Well, I can't say you don't remind me a bit of Chloe, and Jaiden certainly resembles her sister. It makes sense." Aubrey chuckled as they made their way out into the auditorium. Emily was surprised to see a group of girls in the front row and she tensed a little. It didn't take her long to figure out which one of them was probably Stacie.

"Have you met the girls yet?" Aubrey pulled Emily out of her thoughts and the brunette shook her head slightly. "Come on then; I'll introduce you."

—-

"You ready?" Jaiden put her car in park and killed the engine.

"I think. Never really saw myself as the 'marriage type'." Beca responded shakily. Jaiden sighed and she smoothed out of the bottom of her own dress.

"Honestly; I don't see it either."

"Wow, you're so good at pep-talks." Beca scoffed.

"Hey, listen," Jaiden said defensively. "I didn't say I was good at this. But I've never seen anyone as compatible as you and Chloe. You might not be the marriage type, but you should still lock that woman down. She puts up with your shit _and_ my shit and…and she's the reason I even have you in my life now. So, go in there and marry her." Jaiden paused, her face a bit red, and sighed. "How was that?"

"That was…that was really good." Beca admitted quietly. Noticing the change in her voice, Jaiden turned her head to see her older sister choking back tears. "Thank you."

"Of course. Now no crying til after the ceremony because I know you spent like half an hour on your make-up."

—

"Okay everybody; take your seats! Bride #2 is in the building and we're ready to roll. Lily, hit the lights!" Jaiden slid into the seat beside Emily just as Aubrey started barking orders.

"Hey," The older girl smiled breathlessly and kissed her on the cheek. "How was your day with Chloe?"

"It was fine."

"Did you meet the Bella's yet? And Aubrey?" Jaiden wrapped her arm around Emily and smiled at her curiously. Something seemed a little off with her, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The younger girl nodded again, smiled a bit, and settled against her. Jaiden took the opportunity to glance over at the Bella's, and the majority of them were already looking at her in amused curiosity. Her heart sank a little when she locked eyes with Stacie. Jaiden gave her a curt nod before returning her eyes to the stage in front of them. Almost everyone in the auditorium jumped as music suddenly began to sound through the speakers. It took Jaiden a few seconds to recognize the song that had been recorded on a piano, and she frowned in confusion when she realized it was Sia's Titanium. The song choice was quickly shelved in the back of her thoughts as her sister emerged from the left side of the stage, escorted by her father. Jaiden felt a lump form in the back of her throat at the proud expression on Dr. Mitchell's face.

"She looks so beautiful." Emily whispered. Jaiden struggled to swallow and nodded a bit.

"She really does." Jaiden answered just as Chloe emerged from the other end of the stage; Aubrey at her side. The redhead's eyes were filled with tears already.

"Friends and family, we're gathered here today to celebrate the union of two souls in the form of marriage."

—-

Beca could hardly focus on what the minister was saying, or the people sitting out in the audience watching, or the way her shoes were a little too small on her feet. The only thing she could focus on was Chloe, and how her hands were warm in hers. The look in her eyes and the-"

"Beca?" The sound of her name snapped Beca out of it and she looked towards the minister in confusion. "Your vows?"

"Oh, right, yeah," The tiny brunette panted. There were a few laughs from beyond the stage and she blushed. Beca took a deep breath and squeezed the hands that were interlocked in hers.

"Chloe, I've never been a happy person, you know that. I was pretty closed off and dark, and I had those gauges in my ears that everyone in my family hated. But you…you changed me a lot and I will never get tired of thanking you for that. And I promise to never stop loving you, no matter what we run into. You'll always deserve the world and I swear to God, I'll never stop trying to give it to you. As long as I live," Beca took a shaky breath and tightened her grip on Chloe's hands. "I will always be yours."

 ** _Wedding day! I have a lot planned for next chapter (including some drama) but I'm still really opened to suggestions! Don't forget to review!_**


	29. Chapter 29

"Hey; what're you doing out here?" Emily turned around abruptly, nearly dropping the glass of champagne in her hands, and felt her stomach churn at the sight of Jaiden. The older girl had thrown a blazer on with the dress she had worn to the wedding, but promptly began to shrug it off when she felt the temperature out on the balcony and saw that Emily wasn't wearing a jacket.

"Just…getting some air."

"Is something wrong?" Jaiden closed the distance between them and put her blazer around her shoulders; letting her hands rest on the other girl's shoulders. Emily's demeanor had been off all night and Jaiden couldn't tell if she was just nervous around all of the new people or if it was something else.

"No, uh, thanks" Emily pulled Jaiden's top around herself more and shivered. "Everything's fine."

"No, it isn't," Jaiden kissed her cheek. "Talk to me."

"It's nothing. This is a good night. You should go spend time with your sister and everyone."

"I'm not going back inside until you talk to me," Jaiden told her. She slid her hands down to hold Emily's and leaned back against the balcony railing. "Is it all the people? Do you just need need some space?" A thought dawned on her and Jaiden winced in realization. "Is it Stacie being here?"

"Yeah."

"Em, you know that's over. I love you." Jaiden squeezed the younger girl's hands and rubbed the back of them with her thumbs. "You have nothing to worry about."

"She's just…she's so beautiful and she looks at you like she's still so in love-"  
"Dont," Jaiden cut her off and shook her head. She could see the insecurity running rampant through Emily's mind. "Honestly, I haven't even looked at her all night. I've been too busy appreciating the way you look in that dress." Emily blushed and looked down at her feet. Jaiden relaxed when she saw the hint of a smile tug at her lips.

"Jaiden?" The brunette jumped at the sudden voice and tensed when she saw her father in the balcony doorway. Emily shot her a concerned look as the man glanced between them nervously. "Can I please speak with you for a moment? I'm just about to head out."

"I'll leave you two alone." Jaiden wanted to protest as Emily released her hands and let herself back into the apartment. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and crossed her arms. Dr. Mitchell shut the door behind himself and shifted awkwardly.

"What do you want?" Jaiden deadpanned finally. Her heart was racing at the uncomfortable atmosphere between them.

"I haven't seen you in a long time. I just wanted to tell you…tell you that I'm so _proud-"_ the man's voice cracked on the world and Jaiden looked away from him; struggling to swallow the lump in her throat, "-of you. Of everything you've overcome. And it makes me so happy to see you and your sister together again, even if you don't want me in your life. But, Jaiden, it would mean so much to me if you would just give me a chance to be in your life-"

"Let Emily go to Barden for free next year. You do that, and I'll spend one evening with you. No step-mom. Not at your house. Somewhere in public." Jaiden laid out the conditions stiffly and waited for the man to respond. Dr. Mitchell looked taken aback for a moment but quickly regained his composure.

"Emily is…your girlfriend, right? I'm sorry, I'm a little out of the loop. But yes, of course." He nodded quickly.

"Alright then. I'll be in touch." Jaiden nodded towards the door, dismissing him silently, and Dr. Mitchell fumbled for the handle of the sliding door. His daughter waited until he disappeared down the hallway before letting herself back into the warmth the apartment offered. By the time she got back to the main area of the apartment, Dr. Mitchell had already let himself out and the small reception was underway. Jaiden found her girlfriend sitting at the kitchen counter, talking to Aubrey with a beer in hand. She eyed her curiously and leaned against the counter beside her.

"Aubrey, are you corrupting my girlfriend?" She asked the older blonde. Despite her escape attempts being thwarted by her, Jaiden had grown to like Aubrey.

"My apologies," she laughed. "I'll catch you two later." Jaiden nodded at her and took her spot at the counter. She watched in amusement as Emily lifted her bottle to her lips and took a drink.

"So, I got you into college," Jaiden propped her head up with her hand and grinned at the younger girl.

"What?" Emily's eyes widened.

"My dad wanted to talk, so I made him a deal. You start at Barden this fall. No tuition."

"What? Jaiden, are you serious?" The brunette's voice rose in pitch and she nearly knocked her girlfriend off of her stool when she kissed her. "Y-you didn't have to do that for me."

"Eh, It's worth it. I told him I'd go out to one dinner. It's not that bad." Jaiden shrugged. Nevertheless, Emily leaned forward and kissed her again.

" _Alright, time for the bride and, uh, bride to have their first dance!"_ Cynthia Rose's voice blared through the apartment, a temporary break from the music that the DJ had been playing. Jaiden grabbed a beer before getting off of her stool and following the stream of people out into the main area of the apartment. She caught her sister's eye from across the room and couldn't help but smile at how radiant Beca looked. The older girl's smile was so wide that her eyes crinkled and that was something Jaiden didn't get to see very often.

" _Ladies, the floor is yours!"_ Hard to Concentrate began to play from the monitors and the two newly married women met each other in the middle of the are that had been designated as the "dance floor". Jaiden tried to distract herself from the fact that she was starting to get choked up and chugged about half of her beer. She couldn't even force herself to look into Chloe's eyes; she knew they would be glistening with tears.

 _All I want is for you to be happy and_

 _Take this moment to make you my family and_

 _Finally you have found something perfect and_

 _Finally you have found…_

"They're so perfect." Emily's voice pulled Jaiden out of her thoughts and the 18 year old nodded stiffly. "You can see it in their eyes; they love each other so much."

"Yeah," Jaiden cleared her throat. "They really do."

"Are you okay? Oh my God, Jaiden, you're crying." Emily swatted the older girl and grinned. "You're _emotional."_

"No, uh," Jaiden cleared her throat. "There's just…I like this song."

"Bullshit," Fat Amy leaned over and piped up with a knowing look. "Baby Mitchell is all choked up. Aubrey, come take a picture!"

"Can you guys not?" Jaiden attempted to shield her watery eyes as the blonde hurried over with her obnoxiously large Nikon. Emily wrapped her arm around her waist and flashed a smile as Aubrey snapped a few shots of them.

"You guys are the worst and I hate you." Jaiden grumbled. She wiped her eyes as nonchalantly as she could and glared at Amy.

" _Alright; the dance floor's open for the rest of you bitches,"_ the song ended and Cynthia's voice filled the apartment once more. Seconds after the announcement had been made, Jaiden found herself being whisked onto the area of the hardwood that had been cleared of furniture by her sister. Beca smiled up at her so genuinely that it shocked her for a second and the younger of the siblings allowed her irritation with her friends to dissipate.

"So, Mitchell-Beale, huh?"

"Yeah," Beca looked down and laughed as they moved to the music. "That's me. A married woman."

"You're getting old, Becs," Jaiden told her. She glanced over and saw Aubrey and Chloe dancing together as well. "But, I'm happy for you. And if it makes any difference, Dad and I talked. We're going out to dinner sometime this week. He's going to make sure Emily gets a full ride to Barden this fall."

"Whoa," Beca arched an eyebrow. "That's, uh, a pretty big step for you two. From not talking to extortion. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Jaiden laughed. "It's whatever. I just, um, thought you should know."

"Well, just so _you_ know, this is the happiest night of my life and I'm just…I'm so glad you're here for it." Beca's voice rose half an octave and Jaiden felt the lump in her throat return at the look in her sister's eyes. She knew that half a year ago they weren't even speaking and now they were dancing at Beca's wedding. It was surreal.

 ** _Sorry for the wait! Been busy! Don't forget to review!_**


	30. Chapter 30

"Good morning," Beca smiled tiredly, her eyes still closed, as the sound of her wife's voice and the crashing of the waves outside their beach house reached her ears. The air smelled of the sea—salty and fresh—and memories of the night before drifted their way through Beca's mind as she began to wake up.

"Morning," the brunette murmured. She rolled over to face Chloe, who's bright eyes were already awake and alert, and kissed her lazily.

"So," the redhead smiled, "you aren't even a morning person when we're on our honeymoon."

"It's our first day being married and you're already trying to change me."

"I'd never," Chloe said. "I love you just the way you are; grumpiness and all."

"You don't mind that I look like a potato when I wake up?"

"You're the most beautiful potato I've ever seen," Chloe assured her. Beca scoffed and then managed to sit up. With a dramatic groan, the small woman stretched and yawned.

"So, what should we do on our first day being married?" She asked.

"We _could_ spend all day in bed," Beca smirked.

"We're in Hawaii and that's your plan?"

"Fine, we'll spend all day in bed on our second day of being married. We can go to the beach today." Beca rolled her eyes dramatically and swung her feet onto the floor.

—

"What're you doing?" Jaiden blinked up at Emily in sleepy confusion, still buried under her blankets. The younger girl, on the other hand, was up and dressed; apparently going somewhere.

"My mom texted me this morning. My grandma is in town and I'm having breakfast with her. Don't worry; it'll just be her and I."

"Do you want me to come?" Jaiden sat up and reached for her glasses. Emily hesitated for a moment and then shook her head.

"I just…she doesn't know about us and she's really old fashioned."

"Oh," Jaiden nodded, "yeah. I understand. You guys are close?"

"Well, she's my favorite family member, which probably doesn't seem like much. I just really, you know, don't want to upset her."

"Yeah, I get it. Have fun." Jaiden flopped back down in bed and pulled her comforter up around her shoulders.

"I will. Love you," the younger girl slipped on a pair of shoes and then slipped out the bedroom door.

"Love you too." Jaiden mumbled.

—

Jaiden slept for another hour and a half before her cellphone woke her up. Fearing that something might have gone wrong with Emily's outing, she scrambled to pick it up. Her father's voice filled the speaker next to her ear and Jaiden winced when she remembered the deal she had made with him.

 _"Hello, Jaiden? It's me."_

"Yeah, hi."

 _"I just wanted to, um, set up a time and place for our dinner. Not to rush you or anything."_ The man's voice was filled with nerves, and she sighed at the odd guilt it instilled in her.

"Uh, I'm kind of busy today," she lied. "What about Monday night?"

" _Monday would be just great. If it's alright with you, I was thinking we could go to Foreman's Grille at around 6:30? I have a meeting with some faculty members beforehand-"_

"That's fine," Jaiden cut him off and ran her fingers back through her hair. "I'll see you then." The 18 year old hung up before her father could try to say anything else and huffed loudly. Her stomach was twisting with nerves already, and she still had like two days to go before she actually had to see the man. After opening a text from Emily that said she and her grandma were spending the rest of the day together, Jaiden shut her phone off and went to her dresser. With no better way to spend her day, she pulled out her stash and her lighter and packed a quick bowl. The 18 year old walked out to the kitchen and sat at the counter; considering she had no need to be discrete in the empty apartment. Streams of smoke filled the sun-lit kitchen and Jaiden puffed away for the next few minutes; trying not to think about the inevitable dinner she had agreed to. Soon, her mind moved on to other things and the young women sat at the counter for quite some time, following the trail of thoughts and internal debates her subconscious came up with. Eventually, she managed to snap out of her daze and make herself a cup of coffee. The hazelnut flavored beverage tasted remarkably good and Jaiden looked at her surroundings with a content appreciation.

Life wasn't that bad anymore. She had her scars and her memories and the weight of her mother's death still loomed over the apartment, but those things stayed in the back of her mind. Jaiden was comfortable. Even after Ted had gone to prison, she'd always remained uncomfortable in that house. It reeked of her mother's failure and she had spent most of her last years in it waiting to leave. Beca's apartment, on the other hand, felt like an actual safe space.

—

By the time Emily returned to the apartment, Jaiden had sobered up enough to clean up the remnants of the previous night's events, as well as order Chinese. She found the older girl curled up on the couch with Bailey and a box of fried rice and smiled apologetically when she saw her.

"Hey," Jaiden greeted her with a chaste kiss and set her food down. "How was your day?"

"Good. I told my grandma about you."

"What?" Jaiden frowned. "I thought that wasn't a good idea."

"Well, my mom has already apparently tried to turn the whole family against me, so they all know. And I meant that I told her, you know, _about_ you. Like, your personality and stuff."

"So, your grandma knows you're dating a damaged lesbian with a lot of personal baggage?"

"Shut up," Emily shoved her and her gaze softened a bit. "You aren't damaged."

"Eh," Jaiden shrugged. "I mean, a little. With the whole 'tragic backstory' thing I have going and all…"

"Jaiden," Emily leaned in closer; still solemn and unsmiling at the older girl's jokes. "Don't say that. You aren't…there isn't _anything_ wrong with you."

"Are you getting sentimental on me, Junk?" Jaiden arched an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. Her eyes flickered between Emily's and her lips, but the younger girl still looked distraught.

"Why do you always have to joke about everything?"

"Em," Jaiden sighed and put a hand on the younger girl's thigh. "What's wrong? Why are you getting upset?"

"I just feel like it's hard for you to be serious with me."

"Maybe I'm not a serious person."

"But, you are. You were before we were dating. And now it's like you're guarded or something. You just make fun of everything that bothers you."

"Would you rather I just get depressed about everything again?" Jaiden's voice sharpened and she stood up from the couch. "I don't understand what you want."

"I just want you to be real with me!" Jaiden rolled her eyes and walked away from the living room; trying to contain her frustration.

"You're really saying that? Emily, you're the _only_ person I'm real with!" She snapped. "I knew I wasn't going to be good enough for you."

"No, Jaiden, it's not that. You are," Emily got up and went after her, scared that Jaiden was going to storm out and leave the apartment. "I just…sometimes you seem reserved and I can't shake the feeling that you aren't being open with me. Please, don't go."

"Look, I just need some space," Jaiden shook her off and tried to qualm the bit of panic that was rising in her chest. She knew this wouldn't work out. She had known she wasn't going to be good enough for Emily but she had tried anyway and now it was going to fall apart.

—

"I _told_ you to wear sunscreen."

"I don't normally burn!" Beca defensively slapped a handful of Aloe vera on her red-tinged arm and began to rub it in. "Are we calling home or what?"

"Yeah, I just dialed the number." Beca looked up to see Chloe was already holding the hotel phone to her ear and she scooted across the bed so she could join her.

"It's ringing."

"Well, that's a good sign." Beca smirked and dodged a playfully swat from her wife. She waited for a few seconds and then frowned when Chloe hung up.

"They didn't answer?"

"No," Chloe shrugged. "They have the apartment to themselves this weekend…they're probably busy."

"Okay, ew." Beca wrinkled her nose at the insinuation and flopped back on the bed. "Please never make comments about my sister's sex life ever again."

"Sorry, honey."

"Oh, are we using cheesy married nicknames now?" Beca snorted.

"Yes, we are, _dear."_

"Gross."

—-

"Jaiden, I'm sorry." Emily had her back against the front door; blocking the handle. "Can we just talk?"

"Why would you want to talk if I'm apparently never real with you?"

"Stop," the younger girl begged. "I just got the wrong idea. You make fun of everything to cope. I'm sorry."

"Would you please _stop_ trying to analyze me? I feel like I'm dating my therapist."

"Okay, now-" Emily's voice cracked and Jaiden felt her stomach drop when she saw the threat of tears glistening in the younger girl's eyes, "-you're just being mean."

"Shit," Jaiden sighed. "Em, I'm, uh, sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah, you did." Emily turned around and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll just go."

"Don't, Em," this time, Jaiden blocked the door. "This is my fault. I was being defensive and I get hurtful when I'm like that and I'm so sorry." She took Emily's hands and squeezed them apologetically. "I love you."

"I love you too." Emily mumbled.

"Come on," Jaiden pulled her away from the door. "I'll heat up your dinner."


	31. Chapter 31

**Inspo: Bechloe scenes: Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran, Acoustic Version of Zedd's Clarity, Only Exception by Paramore bc im an emo ho**

 **Jemily scenes: Rock Bottom by our girl Hailee,**

Beca was caught up in the moment. Here she was; on a beach, with a drink in her hand and a bottle's worth of wine in her bloodstream, watching her _wife's_ features shift tiredly in the moonlight. They were both reddened from the sun and heat radiated off of their skin as a result, but they were comfortable and drunk and happy and _married._

She did it. She finally did it. She had a family and it was a real one. It was functioning and full of actual love and it wasn't going anywhere. She had security.

"Beca…" Chloe's long, drawn out pronunciation of her name pulled Beca out of her thoughts and she beamed up at the redhead drunkenly. "Dance with me." Chloe pulled her up and put her hands on the smaller girl's hips.

"You're thinking a lot," Chloe noted as they began swaying back and forth. Low music played from the Bluetooth speaker set on their blanket and mixed with the sound of the waves hitting the nearby shore and the fire crackling.

"Good things," Beca assured her. She smiled and grinned down at their feet. "Really good things."

"Tell me."

"Nah…"

" _Please?"_

"Just about how lucky I am. And we are. We have a family," Beca relented finally. Her cheeks reddened further, adding to the look from the sunburn, and Chloe pressed their foreheads together.

"Yes, we do," the older of the two muttered.

"We're the luckiest."

—-

Jaiden had wandered off to the bathroom not long after she and Emily had fallen into a tense silence. Static was slowly filling her mind and she began to juggle thoughts of the younger girl leaving her. So much could go wrong so quickly and the potential scenarios had her heart racing.

 _She could leave the apartment and never come back._

 _She could go back home and live with her parents._

 _She could walk out and change her number and just disappear._

Desperate to distract herself from the mess inside of her mind, Jaiden stripped down to nothing and turned the shower on as hot as she could handle. Steam began to cloud the small room and the 18 year old stepped under the burning water and let the mild pain envelope her senses for a few seconds. Her stomach was twisting by the time she worked shampoo into her hair and her breaths came quick as she replayed every word she had uttered out in the main area in the apartment.

Jaiden was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the sound of the bathroom door opening, or the rustle of clothes being discarded. When the shower curtain pulled back, a bolt of panic shot through her chest and she stared at Emily with wide eyes.

"What-" Jaiden's words caught in her throat as the naked brunette stepped into the shower and closed the curtain behind herself. "What are you, uh, doing?"

Emily answered by slowly backing her against the tiled wall and cupping her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't," Emily shushed her and pressed their lips together. The hot water continued to beat down on the two bare girls as they moved against one another and Jaiden forced herself to pull back after a few seconds; shaky and overwhelmed.

"I love you," she breathed out. Her eyes flickered with anxiety as they searched Emily's for the same feeling. For once, the younger girl was more sure of herself then Jaiden; a strange turn of the tables for both of them.

"I know you do," Emily smiled slightly and let her hands move down so they gripped the back of Jaiden's neck. "Show me."

—-

Half an hour later, the two girls were nestled in Jaiden's bed; hair wrapped in towels and still a bit damp from the shower. Emily's head rested on her girlfriend's chest and she found comfort in the warmth that radiated from Jaiden's skin.

"Does your stomach feel weird?" Emily was nearly asleep when Jaiden asked the question. Popping one eye open, she frowned in tired concern.

"No. Does yours?"

"A little, yeah. It was probably just the Chinese food," Jaiden huffed and stared up at the ceiling. She had started to feel nauseous a little bit after they had gotten into bed.

"I hope you don't have food poisoning," the younger girl said nervously.

"Me too," said Jaiden. "Maybe it'll pass. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Jaiden. I love you."

—

"Take your dress off."

The hotel room door had barely closed before Beca spoke the order and looked her wife up and down with hungry eyes. The alcohol was finally reaching the deeper parts of her and she wanted nothing more than to feel Chloe's flesh beneath her touch. Her pupils dilated as Chloe let her clothing fall to the floor and slowly started to unhook her bra.

"Get on the bed." Beca pulled her own clothes off and backed Chloe up against the bed. The redhead laid back as the back of her knees touched the mattress. Her skin was still salty from the ocean water; something Beca could taste as she began kissing her neck.

"God, Beca," Chloe sighed and intertwined her fingers in Beca's hair. Her skin flushed red and her stomach churned with desire as Beca's lips began to move lower. They traveled down to her breasts and goosebumps broke out across her body.

"I can't believe you're mine," Beca kissed her way down her wife's body until she could kneel comfortably between her legs at the end of the mattress. Chloe's thighs spread and Beca dug her nails into them; knowing that the feeling drove the older woman wild.

"Tell me you need me," Beca smirked. Blue eyes stared down at her desperately and the sight of them sent her head spinning.

"I _need_ you, Beca."

—-

"Jaiden?"

The 18 year old heaved another time into the toilet and then lifted her head out of the porcelain bowl. Emily had evidently woken up, and was now kneeling next to her on the tiled floor.

"You're sick."

"It's fine," Jaiden panted out and spit the foul-tasting saliva in her mouth out. "Just some bad take-out. You can go back to bed." She winced as her stomach cramped up and crawled to her feet. She could feel Emily's worried gaze on her as she rinsed out her mouth and then collapsed back in front of the toilet.

"I'll stay with you," said Emily quietly. Gently, she reached out and pushed Jaiden's hair off of her sweaty forehead.

"I'm sorry I woke you, I just-" Jaiden's voice cut out as she gagged again and barely leaned over the toilet in time. Her stomach clenched as she threw up violently and then shuddered as a series of chills overtook her body. Emily's hand rubbed her back in soothing circles; the least she could do.

"Fuck this," Jaiden panted. "It's going to be a long night."

 ** _Short chapter but I've got a lot planned. Don't forget to review and I hope you liked this!_**


	32. Chapter 32

"No, yeah, we're great over here. But, we miss you," Jaiden grimaced as another wave of nausea hit her and then forced a neutral tone. "Love you too, Beca. Bye."

"You should really tell them," Emily took Jaiden's phone from her and rubbed the older girl's back. "And your dad. He'd understand and you're too sick."

"He'll think I'm backing out," Jaiden replied weakly. "I don't want to lose this opportunity for you."

"I'm not letting you go out like this. You can barely stand. If you _have_ to do this tonight, at least tell him to come here."

"I can go. Em, I can do this for you." The younger girl rolled her eyes and reached across to snag her phone from her.

"Then I'll do it."

"Em, no. This is my thing and-"

"And you can't do it by yourself, so you need to let me help you," Emily gently pushed the older girl back until she was laying down on the couch again. Jaiden sighed, but knew she didn't have it in her to fight again, so she watched in weak distress as Emily unlocked her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

"Hi, Dr. Mitchell? Yeah, hello, this is Emily, Jaiden's girlfriend. How are you?" Jaiden rolled her eyes as Emily exchanged pleasantries over the phone and tried to ignore the pain in her stomach that was steadily getting worse. "No, everything's okay, but listen; Jaiden's had some pretty bad food poisoning for the past few days and she's not really able to make it to dinner tonight, _but_ she still wants you to come by. You know where the apartment is, right? Great, we'll see you in a few hours. Bye, Dr. Mitchell."

"You didn't have to do that," Jaiden wrapped herself tighter in her blanket and tried not to shake when another wave of chills went through her body.

"Well, you couldn't, so," Emily shrugged and kissed her on the forehead. "Try to take a nap. I'm going to heat up some soup."

"Okay…" Jaiden, who was already well on her way to a nap, mumbled the response and then let her eyes flutter shut.

—-

"Why are airports like this? Why do they even bother having schedules if they're just going to make everybody late anyways?" Beca slipped her Beats off and glared around the terminal tiredly.

"Time doesn't exist in airports. You should know that by now," Chloe yawned. "Besides, you just miss the kids."

"The kids? You're aware we didn't birth them, right? And they're both legal adults?"

"Still pretty much our kids," Chloe shrugged. "Don't deny it."

"Our kids are dating. Isn't that illegal?"

"No. We're just…it's like the Cullens, in Twilight. Except without all the weird staring and sparkly skin."

"You did _not_ just compare our family to Twilight. I want a divorce." Beca turned away from the older woman and crossed her arms. Chloe's grin faltered for a few seconds and she focused more clearly on her wife.

"I hope I never have to hear you say that seriously."

Beca turned back to her, immediately solemn at the insecurity in Chloe's voice, and put her hand on the redhead's thigh.

"You won't," she assured her gently. "I promise, Chlo."

—-

Dr. Mitchell was nervous. And sad. And, quite frankly, sad about being nervous to see his own daughter. He straightened his tie and gripped the flowers in his hand tighter as footsteps approached the apartment door from the other side.

"Hi, Dr. Mitchell, come in!" The door opened and Emily stepped aside to let the older man in. He looked around anxiously and tried his best to return the smile that the slightly familiar girl offered. "She's resting in the living room. There's some soup in the kitchen if you want any; it's really all she's been able to keep down."

"No thank you," he replied politely. "I grabbed something on my way over."

"Hey," Jaiden popped her head up over the back of the couch and waved at the two of them. Dr. Mitchell tried to hide his concern, but she looked _awful_.

"Jaiden, hi," he moved over into the living room and sat the flowers down on the coffee table. "You…you don't look so well."

"I'm not," she admitted awkwardly. Dr. Mitchell watched, concerned, as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"We could have rescheduled, Jaiden. You know I wouldn't have held that against you. You…you didn't even have to meet with me. I would have been happy to help anyways." The man told her earnestly. Jaiden kept her eyes averted; trying not to focus on how honest he sounded. It was so easy to want to forgive him when she was sick and tired and he was sitting there trying to be her father again.

"I'm not here for handouts…" she murmured finally. Emily entered the room just then and handed her a mug of tea before taking her seat beside the girl.

"Can I ask how long you've been sick for?" Dr. Mitchell questioned. Jaiden bristled defensively.

"I'm fine."

"She's been sick for like three days now." Emily answered for her, much to the dismay of the older girl.

"That's really not good…do you think you should go to the hospital? Do you have a temperature."

" _Dad-"_ the word slipped out of Jaiden's mouth before she could stop herself and if she hadn't been so sick, she would have booked it out of the apartment right there. The 18 year old took a deep breath and tried to recover herself. "It's fine."

"Her temperature has been over 102 for the past two days. I've tried to get her to go to the doctor but she won't listen." Once again, Jaiden shot Emily a betrayed look and tried to focus on not throwing up. Much to her dismay, she found herself grabbing for the bucket beside the couch and heaving up bile right in front of her father. Her abdomen lit up with pain at the effort and she spit pitifully into the bucket. Suddenly, she felt a hand that she knew was too big to be Emily's putting light pressure on her right side and found herself almost blacking out from the pain.

"She's got appendicitis. We need to get her to the hospital." Jaiden opened her eyes and blinked away tears as her father stood up off of the couch and fished his keys out of his pocket. As much as she wanted to deny his help, she was in so much pain that she couldn't. Her entire body shook as she threw off her blanket and allowed Emily to help her to her feet. Sweat streamed down her forehead as they made their way out the door, with Dr. Mitchell leading the way nervously.

"Do you want me to call Beca? They should be getting on their plane soon-"

"No," Jaiden shook her head and clung to her girlfriend tighter. "Let them have the last bit of their honeymoon. Don't worry her. You know- _ah_ -" she grimaced as they stepped into the elevator, "-you know how she can be."

"She's going to be mad we didn't call her," Emily reminded her lightly. Unwilling to argue, Jaiden gritted her teeth and waited for the elevator doors to open. The moment they did, Dr. Mitchell rushed out into the street to get his car. By the time the two girls made it outside, he had just pulled up to the curb and unlocked his doors.

—

"Shit. Chloe, _shit_. Jaiden's on her way to the hospital." Beca stared wide eyed down at the message on her phone as she smacked her wife's arm. Thanks to iMessage, Emily's text had made its way onto the airplane.

 _Hey, not to worry you guys but your dad is driving us to the hospital right now. Jaiden's been really sick and it might be her appendix. I'll keep you updated._

"What? What's wrong?" The redhead lifted her head from Beca's shoulder and read the small blue chat bubble on the screen. "Oh, my God. Why didn't they tell us on the phone?"

"Because they're _idiots_ and probably didn't want to worry us, because that's what Jaiden does. She cares about everyone but herself and-"

"Beca, calm down," Chloe quieted her before they could garner attention from nearby passengers. "They're going to get help now, okay? We'll be home in a few hours and we can go right to the hospital. Everything's okay."

"You're right," Beca let out a long sigh and gripped her arm rests. "Everything's okay."

—-

" _Oh my God,"_ Jaiden gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes shut as the doctor moved the ultrasound wand over her stomach and the doctor pulled back immediately.

"What's wrong?" Emily's grip on her girlfriend's hand got tighter as she looked to the doctor for explanation. The man stood up from his stool quickly and hit the call button on the wall before turning to her.

"She has severe appendicitis and needs surgery before the appendix explodes and fills her body with infection. A nurse will be out to inform you as soon as we know more but we need to get her to the OR."

Nurses seemed to fill the room in seconds and Emily watched, unable to do anything, as Jaiden's bed was wheeled out into the hallway. Eventually, she broke out of her trance and rushed after the surgical team.

"Jaiden," the dark haired girl caught up to the bed and grabbed her lover's hand again. "I love you, okay? I'll be right there when you wake up."

"I love you too, Em." Jaiden grunted through her pain. The nurse pushing the bed slowed down just long enough for Emily to lean over the railing and plant a hasty kiss on her lips. Moments later, Emily found herself watching the OR doors swing shut with Jaiden behind them.

 ** _Drama! Sorry for the wait, but I've been crazy busy! Please please please leave some feedback/reviews/requests!_**


	33. Chapter 33

One of Dr. Wilson's favorite parts about the hospital's new technological system was the fact that she got alerted every time one of her patients was admitted; no matter the reason. For some, it wasn't a surprise to see them popping in again from week to week. But, when she saw " _Mitchell, Jaiden"_ pop up on her newly digitalized charts, she was immediately concerned. Especially because it showed she was brought to the ER.

"Hey, can you search the ER records for the night and tell me why Jaiden Mitchell was brought in?" The young doctor leaned over the Nurse Station counter and gave the older woman a hopeful smile.

"You're lucky you're one of my favorites," Sheila, one of the most easily disgruntled nurses, replied in a slow, unenthusiastic voice and began to type away at the computer. Dr. Wilson watched, somewhat impatiently, as she peered over her reading glasses to scan the information on the screen. "Appendicitis," she declared finally. "Got taken into the OR for emergency-"

"Thanks Sheila!" Dr. Wilson took off, ran past the elevators, and opted instead for the stairwell. Glad that she was still young and able to afford such reckless sprinting, the woman took two stairs at a time, all the way down to the hospital's main level. By the time she had burst into the waiting room, she had broken a sweat.

"Dr. Wilson?" Emily rose from her chair at the sight of the flustered adult and caught her eye.

"Emily," she panted. "I heard about Jaiden. Where, uh…where's her sister?"

"She and Chloe are on their honeymoon. Her dad and I brought her in." Dr. Mitchell approached from behind Emily and took that moment to extend his hand to the psychiatrist.

"Hi," the stressed man nodded politely. "It's nice to meet you. Who, um, are you exactly?"

"I'm in charge of your daughter's therapy," Dr. Wilson clarified. Quite honestly, she was shocked that he was here. Jaiden hardly spoke of him during their sessions and seemed to want nothing to do with the man. "I get alerts when any of my patients are brought in so, you know, I just wanted to check out the situation. Emily…would you like to come up to my office and talk for a bit?" The last sentence came out as more of a strong suggestion and Emily nodded compliantly.

"I'll be down in a little…will you be alright?" She asked Dr. Mitchell timidly. Of course, the man nodded and shook Dr. Wilson's hand one last time before sitting down.

—

"I can't believe neither of them are picking up their phones," Beca tapped the End Call button on her iPhone screen and then quickly selected to call her father's number back. Chloe switched lanes and then glanced over at her wife briefly; concerned for her mental state. She had watched Beca's fingers drum anxiously on the armrest for practically the entire flight. Suddenly, she couldn't remember if they had even brought her prescription with them to Hawaii.

"It'll be okay, Becs. If something had happened, I'm sure they would have called us-"

"Hello, Dad? Why the fuck haven't you been answering? What's going on…" Beca paused for a few seconds, presumably to actually listen to whatever Dr. Mitchell was trying to say, and Chloe jumped as she felt the younger woman's hand latch onto her leg. "Emergency surgery? And you didn't have the slightest idea that calling me and letting me know would be a good thing to do? No, yeah, I understand completely. We're like 45 minutes out, so don't bother calling me or anything unless she _dies_ or something." Beca hung up the phone and let it fall to the floor of the car. "She could be dying."

"Hey," Chloe warned. "Don't. Don't do this to yourself, Beca. She's going to be okay. Jaiden's tough and there's no way anyone could have seen this coming."

"It's her appendix! She's been sick for _days._ "

"Most people with appendicitis think their symptoms are just a virus. The doctors will take care of her-"

"They're surgeons, Chloe. Because she's having emergency _surgery."_ Beca interrupted her and the redhead bit her bottom lip. Her wife's voice was trembling; one of the earliest indicators that she was about to lose it. Beca didn't show weakness unless she was on the edge of an anxiety attack.

"Look, Beca…nothing I say right now is going to make you feel better-" ' _and I hate that'_ "-so just try to keep it together until we get to the hospital."

"We've been through so much unlucky shit together," Beca's voice hitched in her throat and she willed the tears in her eyes to dry. "I can't lose her to something like this. She's my little sister."

"I know, Becs. Just hold on." With that, Chloe gripped the steering wheel and pressed on the gas to pass the string of cars in front of them.

—

"So they'll page you if something goes wrong?" Emily eyed the small device on her psychiatrist's waist and then met Dr. Wilson's gaze. She was a rather reassuring person to be around, but today she did nothing to quell the panic in the 18 year old's chest.

"Emily, let's talk about something other than what's happened today. How's the situation with your parents? Have you spoken to them at all since the night of that dinner?" Dr. Wilson pulled out her notepad and pen, wanting to make it seem like just a normal session for the time being. Emily leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Nope. I blocked my Mom's number and my Dad really never learned how to use his cellphone."

"Do you ever think about that?"

"I try not to," Emily admitted. "Some days I don't really think of them. Other times…I do. And I feel bad."

"Well, they're your parents. The fact that you can acknowledge that maybe you miss them, and yet still not act on it because you know they aren't a healthy part of your life…that shows a really strong sense of judgement."

"Thanks," Emily sighed. "Look, Dr. Wilson, I don't want to talk about them. I can't focus on anything other than Jaiden right now. You're a doctor; is she going to be okay?"

"Well, it's been a while since I studied anything appendix related but…from what I remember, it depends on how inflamed the organ is. If they rushed her into emergency surgery, it has to be close to bursting. And if _that_ happens, infection can spread throughout the body pretty rapidly. She could be in the operating room a while if they're cleaning out the pus."

"What happens if they don't get it all out?" Emily asked fearfully.

"Jaiden could…she could become septic. But, that's the absolute worst case scenario and I _know_ your anxiety is telling you to believe it will happen. How about we just take this one step at a time?" Dr. Wilson explained gently. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she watched her patient squirm across the desk from her.

"I can't lose her, Dr. Wilson. She's the best thing I have and I love her."

"I know you do, Emily. How about I give you a little something to help calm you down for the next few hours? It might help you wait out this surgery a little easier. You can even take a nap on my couch if you want." Dr. Wilson pointed out the piece of furniture at the far end of her office and stood up from her chair.

"Thanks. No nap, but I'll take whatever you're offering."

"No problem. I'll be right back and then I'll walk you back down to the ER." Dr. Wilson gave Emily's shoulder a reassuring squeeze on the way out and she went on her way to the floor pharmacy.

—-

"Start her on a round of Cefepine. Sepsis has already started and we're going to need to open this incision up a few more centimeters to clean the rest of her abdomen out. I want white blood cell counts and a full blood scan now, so get one of the interns on it." The head surgeon exchanged his forceps for a small pair of scissors and slowly began working the fresh incision in front of him wider. Jaiden's appendix sat in a stainless steel pan to his left; still clamped by a metal tool and resting in a pool of saline. The organ had burst minutes before they had gotten her under anesthesia and the entire surgical team had scrambled to get their patients' pain under control as well as prep for a much more advanced procedure.

"Right away," his scrub nurse handed three vials of Jaiden's blood to one of the observing surgical interns and watched as he scrambled out of the OR.

—-

"I," Beca sucked in a deep breath and attempted to get enough oxygen in her lungs to speak to the tired nurse in front of her, "I need to see Jaiden Mitchell. She's my little sister and they brought her in for her appendix-"

"Beca?" The brunette turned around at the sound of her father's voice. "She's still in surgery. No news. Emily's in the waiting room if…if someone wants to-"

"I'll keep an eye on her," Chloe volunteered herself and squeezed Beca's hand before jogging off to sit with the younger girl.

"She's been in there for an hour and no one has come out to talk to-" Beca was just about to have a meltdown when she spotted a doctor wearing surgical scrubs walking into the mostly empty waiting area.

"Are you here for Jaiden Mitchell?" Both Beca and her father nodded immediately. "Her operation is still underway, and unfortunately, her appendix did burst. We're working to clear out the infection as best as we can. Someone will be out to update you as soon as we know anything else."

"When will you know anything else?" Dr. Mitchell asked weakly.

"Well, we're running some blood tests in the lab right now, which will give us some sort of idea of how much of the infection is in her bloodstream already. But, just try to relax and be as patient as you can for the time being. Jaiden is in the best care possible." The young surgeon nodded at them respectfully and then hurried back towards the OR's swinging doors.

"Come on, let's take a seat," Dr. Mitchell put a hand on his eldest daughter's back and guided her towards the row of chairs near them. Beca sat down next to her wife silently; too overwhelmed to voice the stream of fears running through her mind.

 ** _Drama like we all love! Let me know what you guys want to see!_**


	34. Chapter 34

"Em, wake up." The 18 year old jolted back to consciousness as the "pillow" beneath her head moved and blinked in confusion at her unfamiliar surroundings. It was only when she noticed the surgeon standing in front of her that the night's events came back to her and she straightened up immediately. Chloe placed a comforting hand on her arm; hoping to reassure her as much as the situation would allow.

"How is she?" Dr. Mitchell finally managed to ask the question and the surgeon folded his hands in front of him. The action sent dread pooling into all of their stomachs.

"She's in a stable condition. Her appendix did burst upon removal and we had to open her up more than the standard procedure calls for in order to clear out the infected bile. Jaiden is going to have to receive large doses of antibiotics intravenously for the next week to prevent sepsis and a stint has been placed to try to drain infection out of the area. It's, admittedly, about as bad as a case of appendicitis can get. She's lucky we had her in the OR when it burst, or things could have ended a lot differently."

"But, she's going to be okay?" Beca demanded. The tiny woman's nerves were shot from the long plane ride combined with the hours upon hours they had been waiting for news.

"We believe she's going to make a full recovery, yes. Keep in mind though, that she's going to be in some pain from the size of the incision and antibiotics of this potency often cause a lot of nausea."

"When can we see her?" asked Beca.

"Well, we only allow up to two visitors at a time in the recovery room…" the doctor's voice trailed off as he looked at the four people in front of him.

"She probably won't want to see me," Dr. Mitchell offered with a forced, dry smile. He looked at Beca and nudged her. "Why don't you take Emily in with you and Chloe and I can wait."

"That's a good idea. She's going to want to see both of you." Chloe agreed. Emily exchanged a nervous look with Beca; scared that the older girl hated her for letting this happen. Nevertheless, she stood up and followed the surgeon out of the waiting room.

" _Beca!_ " Jaiden slurred out the name loudly as soon as she caught sight of her sister through hazy vision. The monitor attached to her finger slipped off as she clambered to sit up and her nurse patiently placed it back on. She had the demeanor of a well-seasoned recovery room nurse, and she pushed Jaiden back against the pillows gently.

"Hey, my _girlfriend_ is here too." Jaiden blinked up at the nurse in what was supposed to be a wink and promptly attempted to sit up again.

"Whoa there champ, stay down. We're coming to you." Beca leaned over the railing to the bed and smoothed Jaiden's hair back affectionately. Emily soon appeared by her side and Jaiden looked between them with a smile.

"Sorry we didn' call." She mumbled finally. "But, ya know, you were on'a honeymoon."

"It's okay. You're alright and that's all that matters."

"I'm _super_ high…" Jaiden's voice trailed off and she tried to raise her eyebrows smoothly. "Remember when you got super duper high an' proposed? _Speakin' of_ ," Jaiden turned her attention to Emily and Beca's face paled.

"I'm so…a lot more classier than Beca, so _when_ I pruh-pose it won't be here. But, I _will_ pruh-pose." Jaiden annunciated the word dramatically and Beca watched as the younger girl at her side turned a deep shade of red.

"Okay kid, maybe slow down on the word vomit there."

"I'm in _love_ with her, Rebecca!" Jaiden's voice rose indignantly and reached clumsily for Emily's hand.

"I know you are," Beca assured her.

"I'm in love with you too," Emily added. She squeezed Jaiden's hand and finally managed to break a smile. She had just been so…so _scared_ of losing her that it didn't seem real that she was okay.

"Well, that's a relief. Cause I'm gonna buy you a promise ring."

"Wow. This is…romantic," Beca noted.

"Shut up man, you got engaged here."

"Okay, we'll let you sober up a little and then come back-"

" _No_ ," Jaiden latched onto Emily's hand and glared at Beca through bloodshot eyes. "Don't take her away. I love her."

"I can stay," said Emily. She squeezed Jaiden's hand and nodded at Beca encouragingly. The older woman rolled her eyes, but leaned over the bedrail and kissed Jaiden's forehead.

"I'll send Chloe back to say 'hi'. She missed you."

"Okey dokey. Love you." Jaiden called. Once Beca disappeared from her view, Jaiden slowly shifted her gaze back to Emily and sighed loudly.

"You really scared me," Emily admitted. She rubbed her thumb along the back of Jaiden's hand and leaned against the bed.

"Nah," Jaiden shook her head. The younger girl chuckled with a mix of relief and patience for her state and nodded assuringly.

"Yeah, you did."

"I'm not goin' anywhere. Even if I die…I'm coming back for you," Jaiden announced. Her nurse glanced over with an amused look and handed Emily a plastic cup of water with a straw in it.

"I don't think that's how it works, Jay."

"Well, obviously _you_ don't know how much I love you." The 18 year old's lips fumbled as Emily put the cup within her reach and she managed to get a drink after a few seconds. Emily tried not to laugh and waited a few seconds to pull it back.

"Hey!"

"You don't need that much at once," Emily chastised. Jaiden squinted up at her, trying to figure out whether or not she wanted to be mad. She hadn't decided yet when Chloe appeared at her bedside suddenly.

"Hey! You married my sister."

"Yes, I did," Chloe confirmed as she leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "And you almost died. Now we're all caught up."

"Are you mad at us?" Jaiden's eyes widened and for a second, it looked like she was on the verge of tears. Emily and Chloe both exchanged panicked glances and the redhead immediately shook her head.

"No, no. I was just kidding, Jaiden. I'm just so happy to see you."

"Normally I'm kinda tired of you but I'm happy to see you too." Jaiden grinned up at the older woman and then the expression faded in the blink of an eye. "Is Dad still letting you into Barden even though we didn't eat any dinner?"

"Oh my God, you can't worry about that right now." Emily rolled her eyes. "And he was very nice to me while we waited, so I think everything is fine."

"Did you guys talk? Did you talk about me? I bet you talked about me," Jaiden rambled.

"Maybe you should try to go back to sleep," Chloe suggested gently. She patted the top of Jaiden's head and gave Emily a glance that meant "let's get out of here". Emily squeezed Jaiden's hand sympathetically and knowing that she needed to rest, stepped away from the bed.

"You're leaving?" Jaiden's eyes widened and she looked between the two of them with a mix of despair and betrayal.

"Let them go, honey. You need some sleep." A nurse stepped in with impeccable timing and winked at Jaiden visitors.

"The tall one is my girlfriend." Jaiden told her proudly.

"I noticed."

"She's really pretty. And nice…maybe I _should_ have proposed…" Jaiden let her voice trail off and her eyes fluttered shut as her chin rested on her chest.

—-

By the time Jaiden woke up again, she was in her own room and on her second round of antibiotics. A wave of pain hit her with the realization that her anesthetic had worn off and she blinked groggily in an attempt to clear her vision.

"Hey, kid." Her sister's voice drug her out of the fog and Jaiden struggled feebly to sit up. Her incisions disagreed loudly and Beca frowned as she hissed in pain. "Take it easy. You're alright."

"Where's Dad?" Jaiden winced when she realized what she called him, but knew there was no point in trying to cover it up.

"He filled out the insurance stuff and left. Told me to tell you he's glad you're okay and that he got all of Emily's information so, you know, that's good to go."

"Wow," Jaiden grunted. "That was nice."

"Yep."

"So…where's the other two?"

"I had Chloe take Em home about an hour ago. Poor thing was falling asleep in her chair. She really didn't want to, but she was too tired to argue." Beca explained. She glanced at the clock on the wall and yawned; it was well past 2 am.

"You stayed," Jaiden noted. She felt a pang of guilt for what the past hours had been like for her sister and she slid over as gingerly as she could. "Will you, uh…"

"Yeah," Beca nodded and stood up; merciful enough not to make her sister finish the request. Having missed Beca more than she realized, Jaiden nestled up to the older girl as she climbed in the bed and got settled under the thin hospital blanket.

"Jay?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't ever scare me like that again."

 ** _Sorry for the wait! Please please please leave a review and let me know what you think!_**


	35. Chapter 35

"She's not picky. Besides, no matter what you get her, she's just going to act embarrassed that you got her flowers at all," Chloe said. Emily looked up from the rows of flowers that lined the small shop and nodded in agreement.

"You're probably right," sighed Emily. Her fingers skimmed along the various petals and hovered over a group of daisies. Finally, she picked the bouquet out of the bucket of water and shook the excess droplets off.

"Perfect. You grab a card and I'll go pay for these." Chloe took the flowers from the younger girl and left her to approach the rows of small cards that lay stacked on a stand. By the time Chloe finished at the counter, Emily still stood in front of them, indecisive, but she hurried and grabbed the nearest one when she realized how long she had been standing there

"Ready to go?" Chloe beamed. Her companion nodded and the two girls made their way out to Chloe's car, where four still steaming cups from Starbucks sat in the cup holders.

"You guys…you aren't mad at me for what happened, are you? Because we both really thought it was food poisoning and I told her she should let you know-"

"Em, calm down. We aren't mad at you," Chloe cut her off as she pulled out onto the street and took a right towards the hospital. "It was sweet that you didn't want to bother us and you couldn't have known it was her appendix."

"Are you sure?" asked Emily uncertainly. Chloe hid a smile at how familiar her need for validation was; Beca had the same tendencies towards the beginning of their relationship.

"I promise.  
—

"Jay, wake up." Jaiden groaned as the fluorescent lights above her bed flickered on and clenched her eyes shut until they had enough time to adjust. By the time she finally was able to open them, a bunch of daisies and a cup of coffee were being thrust into her hands.

"Good morning," sang Chloe as she drew the blinds covering the hospital windows.

"Who invited Snow White?" Jaiden scowled at the sunlight and struggled to sit up in bed. It took her a few seconds to notice her girlfriend shifting anxiously at her bedside.

"Hi," said Emily. "I know you don't like flowers but they seemed like the right thing to get."

"I love them," Jaiden assured her. "They came from you."

"Cute!" The opinion earned Chloe a dirty look as the redhead came to sit in the remaining chair beside her exhausted girlfriend.

"So, uh, are we going to get to hear about the honeymoon?" Jaiden asked. Despite the raging nausea in her stomach, she took a sip of her coffee as she set her flowers on the bedside stand. Just then, the nurse taking over the previous one's shift entered the room with a doctor in tow.

"Good morning! Sorry to interrupt, but we've got to take your vitals and start you on more antibiotics," said the young woman. "I hate to say it, but these ones normally have some pretty rough side effects. You might experience some nausea or vomiting, so we're also going to administer something to try to prevent that."

"Do what you have to," Jaiden shrugged. Beca, on the other hand, was not so relaxed.

"Are there a lot of risks involved with, uh, that many antibiotics? Should we be worried?"

"The infection is really our only reason to be concerned," the doctor cut in. "Most of Jaiden's symptoms over the next few weeks are going to involve her body fighting off what's already in her blood stream. The antibiotics won't cause any lasting complications and we'll start her on some probiotics in order to keep her digestive tract in shape."

"Oh, uh, that sounds good. Great job," Beca nodded awkwardly. The doctor smiled at her and closed her sister's chart. While he had been explaining, his nurse had quickly checked the bedside machines and was on her way out with him as he left.

"Beca, you sounded almost 50 years old," Jaiden noted. She offered the embarrassed girl a small smile and then stretched gingerly.

"Excuse me for wanting to be well-informed."

"So, uh, how long am I going to have to stay here? Did they give you guys an estimate?" Jaiden asked.

"Two weeks at the most, but you might get out sooner than that," Beca offered apologetically.

"Great. Not like I haven't spent enough time here," sighed Jaiden. "At least I don't have a roommate. My last one _sucked_."

"Rude," said Emily. Jaiden smiled and patted the empty mattress space at her side. As the younger girl made herself comfortable, Jaiden turned her attention back to her sister and Chloe.

"So, about that honeymoon?"

—

"Have they come back yet?"

"No. I followed them to Penny's Flowers and then to the hospital. The sister's car was still in the parking lot from the night before." Mr. Junk help out his phone and his wife took it to scroll through the pictures he had taken.

"The lawyer called while you were gone," she said. "He said we're going to have a decent case against her. All we have to do is make sure they know she isn't mentally able to take care of herself. He also said not to mention conversion therapy because apparently that's a legal grey area."

"This country's morals are going to shit," Mr. Junk grunted. "I think that's what screwed her up. Probably saw all those fags on the internet and decided to be one."

"I still think it was being around that dyke for so long. I have half a mind to sue the damn hospital for not informing us about who she was being roomed with."

"It wouldn't surprise me if that doctor was one herself."

"That's exactly why Emily just needs to get away from those people. What about the NARTH institute? Did they get back to us yet?"

"I got an email while I was in the car. Someone's going to be in touch with us about getting a room scheduled in the next few days. They'll keep it on hold until we're able to get custody of her again," Mr. Junk explained. Exhausted from his late night stakeout, he sat down next to his wife at their kitchen table and yawned. "I just hope it's not too late."

—-

"That is going to be one wicked scar," Jaiden grimaced as her nurse peeled back the gauze over her incision and rubbed a swatch of antiseptic over the wound. Chloe and Beca had gone home for the night, after a lot of coaxing from the youngest Mitchell.

"Vitamin E will lighten it up after the scar tissue forms," advised the nurse. She took less than a minute to tape down fresh dressings onto the wound and Jaiden thanked her tiredly as she left. Once she was gone, Jaiden pulled back her blanket-which Chloe had thoughtfully brought to layer the thin hospital ones-and made space for Emily to lay next to her.

"You look tired," Emily observed worriedly. Dark circles marked the skin underneath Jaiden's eyes and she shrugged indifferently.

"I'm okay. I don't want to sleep because I feel like we haven't been alone much today."

"You're sweet," Emily smiled slightly and rested her head on the older girl's shoulder. "But, I'm staying the night so you don't really have to worry about that."

"Yeah, but I want to talk."

"Talk?" Emily asked nervously. The statement had a lot of weight in it.

"It seems like I talked a lot in the recovery room," Jaiden started out carefully. "And I just wanted to make sure I didn't freak you out or say too much or anything."

"Jay," the younger girl sighed with relief and she shook her head. "Don't even worry about it. You were really charming." Jaiden's face burned red and she glanced away from Emily in embarrassment.

"I wouldn't say that. I mean, I don't remember a lot but the parts I do were not charming."

"Jaiden, I'm serious. You were so sweet. Please don't apologize," Emily reassured her earnestly. "It was actually really nice. I like hearing how much you love me."

"Well, I do. Sorry if I don't say it a lot."

"Yeah, well, I should tell you more too."

"Feel free to say it more," Jaiden laughed weakly and leaned her head back against the pillows behind them.

—-

"Do you think it was a good idea to leave them at the hospital alone?" Beca pet the half-grown kitten on her lap nervously and glanced up at Chloe. She had her head resting on the redhead's shoulder and the two were curled up under a blanket, catching up on the episode of Grey's they had missed while away.

"Seeing as they're adults, yes."

"Yeah, but they're _our_ adults."

"You're going to be a great mom. I always thought I'd have to be the overprotective one but it's totally you."

"So…you want to have kids?" Beca sat up and stared at Chloe nervously; she knew this conversation was going to happen eventually. It happened to all married couples.

"Well, eventually," Chloe admitted. "What about you?"  
"With the history of parenting skills in both of our families, it seems like a bad idea," Beca reasoned. "But, I love you and I trust you and you're just… _so_ good with Jay and Emily. And I love having a family with you, but we won't have those two around forever. So, I guess, eventually I do want kids. I want our own kids."

"Beca," Chloe's eyes glistened with emotion as she gazed at her wife. "Do you really mean that?"

"I do. I know you probably don't believe me, but I do. I think our children would turn out alright."

"If they're half as talented as you, or half as intelligent, they'll be set." Beca rolled her eyes at the comment and feigned irritation as Chloe nuzzled up against her.

 ** _Hey guys! I managed to update pretty soon and I actually broke my hand the other day, so I'm pretty proud of myself. Please please review! I don't hear from you guys as much anymore and i miss your feedback and input. hope to hear from you! :)_**


	36. Chapter 36

"Jaiden? Jaiden, please wake up." The dark haired girl opened her eyes suddenly and glanced around the dark room in tired confusion. Emily was staring at her, face etched with anxiety and holding her illuminated cellphone in a shaky hand. Jaiden fumbled for the device and squinted at the message on the screen.

 _This is your final chance to listen to your parents and stop this. We have all of our papers in order to file for conservatorship over you and they will be filed with the state by tomorrow evening if you do not cooperate with us. We just want you to have a good future, and this is not the way to do it. Your mother and I are aware of the fact that you will not have sufficient funds to go against us in court, much less win. You have until noon tomorrow to make your decision and we hope that you make the right one. Your mother and I love you very much, and want to help you rid yourself of these tendencies._

"They're right, Jaiden. The judge would take one look at my medical history and just think they want control over that."

"Em, no. I won't let them do this to you," Jaiden sat up and hissed in pain. She watched, helpless as Emily got out of bed and moved towards the jacket lying on the chair. "Let me call Beca and we'll figure something out, I promise."

"Don't wake them. It's 2 in the morning and they shouldn't have to deal with this."

"Emily, stop. Don't do this; don't leave. I-" Jaiden was cut off by her own gasp of pain when she swung her feet over the side of the bed. Temporarily distracted from her own panic by concern for the other girl, Emily dropped her jacket and rushed to her side. Jaiden's jaw was clenched and she held her breath as Emily got her to lie back on the bed again. "I swear to God I will chase after you if you leave this room."

"Jaiden, don't." Tears filled Emily's eyes and suddenly the pain in Jaiden's chest was a lot worse than the one in her abdomen. She grabbed for the younger girl's hand and squeezed it tightly; terrified that she was close to losing her. Evidence of her panic beeped from the heart monitor, which was programmed to sound at a significant change in pulse. Sure enough, a nurse came hurrying into the room from the station down the hall.

"What's going on in here?"

"Nothing, I'm fine. Can you page Dr. Wilson from Psych? Please?" The nurse glanced between the two of them suspiciously, stared at the gradually slowing spikes on the heart monitor, and then reached for the small device at her hip.

"Press the button if you need anything before she gets here," said the nurse. She hesitated uneasily before leaving the room, having sensed the ambiance. Jaiden nodded at her thankfully, still holding Emily's hand tightly, and tried to ignore the throbbing in her side.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked uncertainly. Her flight response was still nagging her to leave, but Jaiden's grip on her anchored her thoughts for the time being.

"Dr. Wilson will know what to do. And she can testify in court if it comes to that. She knows what your parents are like and she'll help us."

"We can't afford to go to court-"

"Do you remember Aubrey? The blonde at the wedding? She just started at a law firm in town and I'm sure she'll help us too. Emily, please don't run. We can get through this."

"I thought I was free from them," Emily's voice broke and she buried her face in her hands; pulling away from Jaiden in the process.

"What's going on, girls?" Dr. Wilson entered the room, obviously winded from sprinting across the hospital. Jaiden scrambled to hand the woman Emily's phone and watched the doctor's face closely as she read the threatening text message. Emily struggled to regain her composure and stared at the doctor hopefully. "Wow."

"Tell me they can't do this to her," Jaiden begged. Dr. Wilson ran a hand through her hair and sat down in one of the chairs beside the bed.

"Emily, I will be more than willing to testify against them in court. They aren't fit to have any sort of control over you."

"But, will we win?" Jaiden demanded.

"I can't guarantee that but I want you to know I will do everything in my power to stop this, okay? Just get some sleep and we'll get together a game plan in the morning. Don't stress yourselves too much, alright? Especially you, Jaiden. You need to rest," Dr. Wilson gave both of them a sympathetic glance and stood to leave. As upset as she was, Jaiden's eyelids were starting to grow heavy and she pulled Emily back towards her, hoping to get the younger girl to lay down. Much to her relief, Emily relaxed at her side and held Jaiden's hand as she drifted back to sleep.

—

The first thing Jaiden saw when she opened her eyes was the note on the bedside table. It was a single sheet of paper, folded in half, sitting right next to the daisies in the plastic pitcher that one of the nurses brought her. As she reached for it, a hand stopped her own from touching it and she peeled her eyes away to see Beca. Her sister's expression was enough to tell her that Emily was gone.

"No," Jaiden whispered. Fear surged through her body, blocking out the pain as she sat up and snatched the letter. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as her eyes scanned the words written in the all too familiar handwriting.

 _Jaiden,_

 _I'm so sorry. I know you wanted to help and I know that's all you've ever wanted and I'm sorry I couldn't let you anymore. I know it wasn't right of me to sneak out on you like this, but I knew I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do it if I had to say goodbye to your face._

 _You've had enough pain to last anyone a lifetime. I'm sorry I have to add to that. You deserve to be happy and you are the strongest, kindest, most resilient person I've ever known. I'll never be able to thank you or your family enough to taking me in and trying to protect me like you did. I just can't let you put yourself between me and my parents any longer. It isn't your fight and you have enough of your own to deal with._

 _I love you more than anything, but I'm sure they're going to send me away somewhere. I'm begging you not to get involved. You are the love of my life, but I can't do this to you any longer. This is goodbye._

 _I will never stop loving you,_

 _Emily_

"Jaiden?" She didn't realize there were tears streaming down her face until she looked up at Beca and felt them fall onto her hands.

"I should have woken up."

"Jay, this isn't you fault."

"She's gone. They have her and they're taking her away from me. I can't lose her," Jaiden swung her feet onto the floor and grabbed onto her IV stand for support. Despite her sister's protests, she stood up and began to drag herself towards the door; desperate to do _something._ Before she could get out of the room, Dr. Wilson appeared at the doorway and put two steady hands on her shoulders.

"You knew?" Jaiden's voice dripped with accusation and betrayal. She backed away from the doctor and shook her head.

"Jaiden, please sit down and listen. Emily came to me in my office last night and felt that leaving was her only option. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was becoming hysterical and I didn't want her to leave like that. So, we called her parents and they came to get her-"

"You were supposed to protect her!" Jaiden pushed past the woman weakly and made her way out into the hallway. "She's going to hurt herself and you could have stopped it."

"Jaiden, _listen_." Beca followed her sister out into the hallway and took her arm as she walked.

"I got them to tell me where they were taking her under the pretense of 'sending her files'. She's being sent to a conversion camp in South Carolina," said Dr. Wilson. Jaiden stopped dead in her tracks and tried desperately to calm the horrible possibilities running through her head. A conversion camp. She didn't want to think about what they could do to Emily.

"What's the address?" Jaiden's voice trembled and she stared at Dr. Wilson gravely. The doctor took Jaiden by the shoulder and squeezed it sympathetically.

"Jaiden, I know you're scared but you can't leave the hospital. You need to recover."

"Dr. Wilson, I am 18 years old and I can sign my own discharge papers-"

"No, you can't," Beca reminded her. "I'm still legally in charge of your healthcare. Get back in bed, Jay."

" _I can't let them take her."_

"Jaiden," warned Dr. Wilson. "You need to get a grip."

"I'm not just going to _sit_ here and let those bastards take her away from me!" Dr. Wilson caught the eye of one of the nurses at the end of the hallway and gave her a nod. Taking the hint, the woman hurried towards the pharmacy and grabbed a vial of Thorazine and a syringe.

"Jay, come on, don't do this. You have to trust that we're going to help her," Beca pleaded. Jaiden pulled out of her grasp and tried to shrug out of 's as well. She caught sight of the approaching nurse and eyed the needle in her hands suspiciously.

"No," she shook her head and tried to find a path to the exit. "Let me leave."

"Just relax." Dr. Wilson took Jaiden's arms firmly and held her still long enough for the nurse to grab her IV line and inject the sedative into her bloodstream. Within seconds, Jaiden's knees buckled and she slurred something that sounded vaguely like Emily's name. Trained in the art of catching her post-hysterics patients, Dr. Wilson kept her upright until a nurse was able to bring around a wheelchair. Beca watched, feeling a bit useless, as Jaiden was set down and slowly wheeled back to her room.

—-

Emily stared out the window at the passing trees; eyes red and itchy from her late night breakdown and endless tears. She had eventually exhausted herself; either that or she had just become too dehydrated to cry any more. Her parents had already packed a bag for her when they picked her up at the hospital.

"We're only two hours away," said Emily's father as he glanced in the rearview mirror. His daughter didn't so much as look away from the window. She had already read through the brochure in her lap four times. She didn't want to think about how close they were. She didn't want to think about the fact that she was about to be dropped off hundreds of miles away from the one place she wanted to be. Because all Emily _had_ been able to think about was what Jaiden would think when she woke up, and how she had promised she wouldn't hurt her like Stacie had. How much Beca and Chloe were going to hate her for breaking Jaiden's heart. How she would probably never see any of them again.

 **I TYPED ALL OF THIS WITH A BROKEN HAND SO YALL BETTER REVIEW AND LEAVE SOME FEEDBACK**


	37. Chapter 37

Jaiden had stopped talking. When she came to from the sedative, Beca expected to be met with animosity. Instead she got blank stares and complete unwillingness to communicate. Dr. Wilson got the same treatment when she stopped by after her mid-morning therapy session with a different patient.

"Jay, I know you're hurting but please, just talk to me," Beca pleaded. Her heart sank as Jaiden made eye contact with her, blinked slowly, and went back to staring at the clock on the far wall. "Please?"

"Hey." Jaiden didn't so much as break her stare as Chloe entered the room with three cups of coffee. "How're things going?"

"She won't say anything," Beca mumbled. "She hates me."

"Beca, don't say that. And it feels weird to talk about her when she's right there." Chloe glanced at the girl in the bed and held out one of the coffees. Much to Beca's surprise, Jaiden reached forward and took it. "See? She isn't _ignoring_ us."

"She was ignoring me."

"Why don't you go for a walk? I'll sit with her and you can clear your head," Chloe suggested gently. Honestly, she just wanted to see if she could get Jaiden to talk and she knew her chances would be worse with Beca in the room. The brunette hesitantly got out of her chair, took the cup that Chloe offered, and shuffled out the door. Chloe took her place at Jaiden's bedside and smiled sadly.

"I was on the phone with Aubrey on the way here," she informed her. "She said it was actually good we stayed out of court. As long as Emily hasn't signed anything, her parents have no legal custody over her. Which means if we can get her signature and file a restraining order, we'll be able to keep her parents away from her for good."

Although she didn't speak, Jaiden's gaze had shifted to Chloe and the redhead could have sworn she saw a flash of emotion in the young girl's eyes. But, it disappeared quickly and Jaiden went back to staring at the clock.

Every time it ticked, she knew Emily got even further away.

—

"Hi, my name is Jane Meyers and I'm calling to see if I can set up an interview with your organization for an article I'm writing? It's for an up and coming Christian magazine and we've heard a lot of great things about your camp" Aubrey said as she shifted the phone between her ear and her chin and clicked the pen in her hand. The blonde held in a sigh of relief when the voice on the other line responded excitedly.

" _Oh, of course! What's the magazine's name?_ "

"WWJD Monthly. I'd tell you to check out our website, but it's currently under construction and the link won't work," Aubrey lied smoothly.

" _No problem; I remember trying to get our organization online. It can be a struggle. But, an article sounds like a wonderful way to get our name out there. What kind of piece are you hoping to write?"_

"Well, we were hoping to interview some of your campers in various stages of their conversion. Just to show other Christian families how you work and that it's possible to transition."

" _I think that sounds lovely. Can I get your email so we can set up a time and date?"_

"Absolutely! It's JaneMeyers92 . I'm so glad you guys are onboard with this. Thank you so much."

" _Thank you for thinking of us. I'll be in touch shortly."_

"Great. Can't wait to hear from you. Bye." Aubrey hung up the phone and leaned back in her office chair with a groan. Thankful that she had set up a fake email before making the call instead of scrambling to do it later, she scrolled through her settings and quickly added the account to her mail app.

—-

"I can't stand seeing her like this." Beca stared at the small lump curled up in the hospital bed and stifled a yawn. She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in days and she was fighting off her mental and physical exhaustion and losing the battle. "We spent so much time getting her in a good place and now she won't even talk."

"She thinks she's never going to see the girl she's in love with again. How would you feel if you and I were in the same situation? Can you blame her?"

"No," Beca sighed. "I just wish there was a fast way to fix it."

"Aubrey's working on it," Chloe reminded her. "You know how she always gets what she wants."

"What about Em? That place she's going to sounds horrible. Who knows what they'll put her through."

"Beca, you have to calm down. Go sleep on the couch," Chloe nodded towards the piece of furniture on the far end of the room. "I'll stay up in case she needs anything." Beca opened her mouth to argue, but ended up yawning and accepting defeat. The small brunette got to her feet, accepted a kiss from her wife as she stood to take her place, and curled up on the sea foam green couch.

—

"Remember, when you feel yourself getting sick, aim for the trashcan," said the sweater-clad woman as she handed Emily a small plastic bin lined with a paper bag. The 18 year old took it with shaking hands, arm still stinging from the IV, and gripped the object tightly in an attempt to quell her nerves. The TV screen in front of her hummed to life and she couldn't help but jump as lewd images suddenly flashed across it.

"What is this?"

"It's called aversion therapy. It'll help you to associate good feelings with heterosexual sexual situations and… negative feelings with the opposite situations," replied the woman. Emily did her best to mask the disgust she felt and forced herself to look at the screen. She had to play along if she wanted to leave this place. She didn't even notice her supervisor pressing the drug dispensing button in her hand as the images changed to homosexual ones. Nausea filled her stomach and she felt her throat tighten in an attempt to keep from vomiting. Nearly a minute passed before the sick feeling subsided and the "normal" footage resumed. Having held her breath in an attempt to hold back the bile in her throat, she resumed breathing as normally as possible.

"This dose is a little stronger," the woman warned as the screen switched again. Emily's eyes widened as a picture of Jaiden appeared; stolen from her Facebook. She looked up at the older woman in horror as her stomach churned. "Your parents explained your…specific problem. They were kind enough to inform us of her name."

As hard as she tried, Emily couldn't control herself anymore. She heaved into the garbage can as hot tears streamed down her face. The medication finally seemed to take its full effect and she threw up the rest of her stomach's contents before dry heaving for several seconds.

—-

"Do you think she'd have left if I loved her more?" Chloe's head snapped upright at the question and she did her best to act as if she hadn't been almost asleep. Jaiden had rolled over in bed to look at her and was staring expectantly.

"Jay, that's not what this is about."

"Yeah, you said that when Stacie cheated too. But, it's the only explanation I can think of. They would have stayed if they had."

"You read that letter," Chloe told her. "She left because she didn't want to put you through anything else and she thought _your_ life would be easier if she just left. She left because she loves you. It was misguided, yes, but it was out of love."

"That's bad logic."

"It is not. And just so you know, Aubrey called while you were sleeping and she already has a way into where Emily is staying."

"So, we can help her escape?"

"Well, the plan is to sign her out since she isn't technically required to stay and file a restraining order against her parents. We'll still have to go to court for a permanent order, but they usually grant temporary ones that last until the trial," Chloe explained what her best friend had told her over the phone and watched hopefully to see if Jaiden looked relieved. The 18 year old was quiet for a while; mulling over the idea.

"It'll work?"

"There's a really good chance it will," Chloe said. "You've just got to trust us. We have your back here."

"I don't want to get my hopes up," Jaiden mumbled. "Cause if…if something happens and I can't get her back, I don't think…I don't think I'll be able to handle that."

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Jay. Just take it day by day. And all of this stress is just going to make you heal slower. Try to focus on getting better." Jaiden sighed in what was either frustration or despair, and rolled back over. Within minutes, she had dozed off again.

 ** _I literally wrote most of this the day I graduated with a broken hand I best get some appreciation ;)_**


	38. Chapter 38

Nine days later, Jaiden was approved for early discharge and sat in the backseat of her older sister's car. She didn't want to think about being back in the apartment. Sleeping alone in the hospital bed was one thing, but she knew her sheets at home would still smell like Emily. She knew everything would remind her of the younger girl.

"Ready to be home?" Chloe turned around in the passenger's seat and smiled at Jaiden excitedly.

"I guess," Jaiden shrugged.

"You don't sound excited," Beca noted as she backed out of the parking space. Jaiden locked eyes with her in the rearview mirror and knew she wasn't even beginning to do a good job of faking it.

"I don't know. It doesn't really matter where I am."

"Jay, don't talk like that," Beca warned.

"I didn't mean it that way," sighed Jaiden. "It's just…she's not going to be there."

"Well, Aubrey is."

Jaiden sat up and stared at Chloe suspiciously.

"Why?"

"To go over the game plan. She wants to take you with her to the camp."

"Today? Are we leaving today?"

"Dude, calm down. Nothing's happening today. She just wants to fill you in," Beca clarified. Jaiden fell silent again, which was becoming her most common state, and leaned against the window once more.

—-

Half an hour later, Jaiden shuffled tentatively into her bedroom and stared at her bed. She was tired, but had spent enough time napping in the past week and a half. Unsure of what to do with herself and miserable without Emily, she wandered back out into the apartment and into the living room.

It was a week before Thanksgiving, and what was supposed to be the coziest time of the year just made Jaiden feel empty as she watched the fire crackle in the fireplace. Everything made her think of Emily. She had been starting to look forward to the Holiday season for the first time in years because of her, and now she was dreading it.

Jaiden had become lost in her own head by the time the door to the apartment opened and Aubrey arrived. Which meant that when the blonde came and sat down on the couch next to her, she nearly had a heart attack.

"Sorry," Aubrey apologized and patted the younger girl's leg. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"Sure you are," Aubrey smiled sadly. "But, hopefully, we can fix that. I want to leave tomorrow night. We have an 'interview' set up for the next morning and we're both going to have to play a part."

"Jesus," Jaiden stared at the paperwork in her hands. "You've really planned this out."

"I plan everything," Aubrey informed her. "Now, you're going to be the photographer from the magazine I said we're writing for. I have a Canon Rebel you can carry around and everything. Address me as 'Mrs. Meyers' and if you accidentally slip up and call me Aubrey, we'll just say it's my middle name and we use it because there's another Jane at the office."

"What's my name?"

"You can make that up. Something _realistic_ though."

"Just do Lynn. It's my actual middle name," Jaiden shrugged. Aubrey clicked her pen and made a note of it on her papers.

"Alright. Once we're in, we're going to have to find Emily. I have the forms she'd need to sign to file a restraining order against her parents and I've researched all the laws; they cannot legally hold her there _or_ inform her parents she left. All they can do is stop charging their insurance, which eventually they'll realize. But, not before our PFA is approved. They almost always grant temporary ones before the actual trial."

"So, if we file first, they won't be able to win a custody battle?"

"Exactly. And with Dr. Wilson on our side, they have virtually no chance of winning."

"Aubrey," Jaiden sighed uncertainly. "I appreciate all of this, but what if it doesn't work? Or what if, you know, they've changed her."

"Do you actually think those camps can work? Jaiden, they're illegal in most states. Don't back out on me here. She needs you," Aubrey reassured her. Jaiden looked down at her hands, a little ashamed she had doubted the situation, and nodded.

—-

Emily had lost track of the days. She wasn't sure how long it had been since her parents had dropped her off and she didn't exactly care. The grey walls, constant 'treatments', and hostile therapy sessions made them all run together. She had gotten thinner; they didn't serve decent food to begin with and throwing up nearly every day kept most of it from getting fully digested. But, the aversion therapy was the only thing Emily focused during. It was the only time she got to remember that Jaiden existed. Even with the drugs, seeing her picture was the best part of her day.

"Emily, you have phone privileges now. Would you like to make a call to your parents?" One of the "nurses" popped her head into Emily's small dorm room and smiled at her.

"No."

"Are you sure? I think that they'd love to hear about all the progress you've been making."

"I'm sure. Thank you," Emily said. Obviously unhappy with her answer, the woman hesitated before leaving the room.

" _Well, that should be her last stop for the night._ " Emily jumped and tensed at the sound of her 'roommate'. Alyssa had already been at the camp when she was admitted, and Emily had been warned that she was one of the more 'difficult' members.

"I guess."

"So, when are you going to drop this 'good girl' act?" Emily slid to the far side of her bed as the other girl crossed the room and sat down on it. To put it simply; Emily got a bad feeling from Alyssa. Something about the way the short-haired girl stared at her made her uncomfortable.

"I don't know what your talking about."

"Sure you do," Alyssa smirked and put her hand on Emily's thigh boldly. The 18 year old tensed as she began to rub up and down her leg. "You and I are alone in this room every night. We both know this place doesn't work. Maybe I could help you relieve some of your…frustrations."

"No, thank you," Emily pulled back even further and reached the end of her bed. "I, um, am still, uh…attached to someone."

"But, you're here. Whoever she is… _isn't_ ," Alyssa leaned in closer and Emily looked away. After a few seconds, the other girl shrugged and went back to her own side of the room.

"Suit yourself. But, you'll give in eventually. I've had a lot of roommates, you know."

—

"Take of your clothes."

"Wow," Chloe arched an eyebrow and scoffed. "You're usually a little more romantic than that."

"I drew a bath and it's super hot and nice so let's _go_." Beca grabbed her hand and pulled the redhead into the master bathroom. Chloe was quite honestly impressed as she took in the few candles and thick layer of bubbles in the tub. Within seconds, the couple had stripped down and stepped into the steaming water together.

"So, what's the occasion?" Chloe asked as she rested back against her wife. Beca planted a kiss on her shoulder and sighed contently.

"I just figured with all the chaos lately, we could use a night to relax. And I'm sure that things will be a little crazy after Mission Impossible pans out."

"You know I love this craziness. It's Mitchell brand."

"Mitchell-Beale now, actually," Beca corrected her. She intertwined her fingers with Chloe's and breathed in the always comforting scent of the older woman's hair. "And I'll love it too once Jay gets out of this funk."  
"Baby, I know you were scared of this happening, but Emily has been so good for her. She really loves her, and you know Em only left because she thought she was protecting Jaiden."

"I know. My heart breaks for that kid. I mean, her parents are as shitty as ours were, for the most part. I can't wait to see their faces in that courtroom when they realize they can't come near her."

"You're so sexy when you're vengeful," Chloe grinned and turned around in the water to face her wife. Beca smirked and pulled her close.

"I'll show you what 'sexy' looks like."

—

 **Big rescue mission next chapter! Taking suggestions, reviews, feedback, and requests! Sorry for the wait but im trying my best with this broken hand situation!**


	39. Chapter 39

For the first time in a long time, Jaiden couldn't sleep. She tried smoking what was left of her stash, using what was left of her painkillers from the last prescription, but she ended up staring at her ceiling for hours with the same few albums on repeat. Minutes felt like hours and it seemed to take an eternity for the sun to rise. As soon as it did, Jaiden was on her feet and in the kitchen, cooking breakfast.

"Wow. Babe, get the camera," Jaiden glanced up and rolled her eyes when she saw Chloe standing in the doorway; impressed. Beca turned the corner seconds later and gave her sister a suspicious look.

"What's this about?" the brunette asked.

"I was up early. Figured I could cook for once," Jaiden replied tiredly. The 18 year old rubbed her eyes with one hand and flipped an egg with the spatula in the other.

"Up early? Or up all night? Cause the dark circles around your eyes are kind of giving it away," Beca said as she sat at the counter.

"Yeah, well, I can sleep in the car tonight."

"Are you nervous? Do you want to talk about it?" Chloe offered hopefully. Both Beca and her sister stared at the redhead blankly for a few seconds before exchanging glances.

"When, in the history of ever, have I wanted to talk about anything?" Jaiden forked a pan of bacon onto a plate and set it up on the counter.

"Never. But, you still do sometimes," Chloe pointed out.

"I've give you that," Jaiden shrugged. "But, what can I say? I'm terrified this whole thing won't work. Aubrey made a great plan, but it isn't going to do anything if, you know, the people at that camp have brainwashed her."

"Dude, you know damn well those places are bullshit," Beca scoffed. "Don't let your thoughts get ahead of you."

"Coming from Ms. Anxiety USA?" Jaiden said. "That's rich."

"Okay, calm down ladies," Chloe intervened and patted her wife on the shoulder. "Let's keep it civil."

"I'm being civil _and_ honest," said Jaiden. The 18 year old dumped a skillet full of eggs onto another plate and set it aside just as the toaster popped. Unaware that she could actually cook for herself, Chloe and Beca watched in subtle amazement as she multitasked and took care of the rest of the food.

"Why are you staring?" Jaiden frowned once she had turned back around.

"This is a rare occurrence," Chloe admitted.

"And this is why. You guys get so weird the second I do something different."

"We're just admiring you in one of your rare forms," Beca teased. Jaiden glared at both of them as she set empty plates in front of them. She gestured impatiently after a few seconds of them not moving.

"I'm going to take a shower," Jaiden informed them. "Enjoy." The teenager walked off after an awkward nod, leaving the couple alone with a mountain of food.

"She's so much like you," Chloe said. The redhead began forking food onto their plates and kissed her wife on the cheek affectionately. Beca smiled wryly and sighed.

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good. It means I get two of you," Chloe replied.

"Poor you."

"Stop," Chloe warned. "I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

"Okay, now you're just being ridiculous," said Beca. "But, I was wondering if maybe while Jaiden's gone…you'd want to talk about that thing we discussed a while ago."

"What thing?"

"The, uh, kid thing," Beca clarified nervously. Chloe's eyes widened and she put her fork down. "Unless, you know, you don't want to. Or it's too soon or whatever-"

"Beca, calm down," the redhead interrupted her. "I'm just…I'm surprised that you brought it up first."

"Did you not want me to?"

"No! Beca, believe me; I'm thrilled. This is just such a big thing and I'm so glad you brought it up because I've been thinking about whether or not talking about it was going to pressure you and I didn't want to do that-"

"Okay, babe. Slow down. Let's save the big talk until we have the apartment to ourselves."

"Right," Chloe took a deep breath and nodded. "How, um, do you think Jay would take it? Hypothetically."

"I'm not sure. I've never seen her around a baby before. But, she'll probably be up for anything if she gets Em back."

"Do you miss her? I mean, I know we haven't known her all that long, but-"

"I know what you mean," Beca assured her. "And I do miss her. She's such a sweet kid. She doesn't deserve this."

"Well, I can't see Aubrey coming back empty-handed. And _please_ , be sure to thank her."

"Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want her throwing up on me."

" _Beca!_ "

—

The rest of the day _crawled_ by for Jaiden. She had never experienced a longer 12 hours in her life. Packing her duffel bag and going over the few things she had to remember to sell their stories took less than half an hour, which left plenty of time to pace the apartment restlessly. By the time Aubrey opened the door, Jaiden was practically chomping at the bit.

"Hey! You ready to go-"

"Yes," Jaiden confirmed seriously. She stood in front of the blonde with her bag slung around her shoulder and two travel mugs in her hand. "I can drive first if you want."

"Wow, okay, you are really…ready," Aubrey observed.

"Good luck! Call us when you have news!" Chloe popped into the hallway and kissed Jaiden on the forehead before the younger girl could dodge her. Beca appeared a few seconds later and repeated the action.

"Love you, kid," Beca told her. "Keep your head on straight."

"I will," Jaiden assured her. "Love you too."

"Come on; let's get this show on the road," Aubrey called. Jaiden gave her sister a final nod and followed her blonde companion out the door.

—-

"Our interview starts at 8 a.m., so we're going to crash at a motel about 15 minutes away from the camp. By the way, it looks nothing like a camp. I looked at Google Earth. It's literally a big white building." Jaiden glanced away from the road for a moment to nod at Aubrey, who was looking over forms in the passenger's seat. "I'm going to suggest that you venture off and take some pictures while I ask the head of the facility some bogus questions. There's a map I got from their website of the building. Check everywhere until you find Emily, then text me."

"Jesus," Jaiden sighed. "What if I can't find her? What if she isn't even there anymore?"

"We're still inside their standard time window for a stay. I doubt she's gone anywhere."

"So, I find Emily, text you, and then what?"

"Meet me at the exit. I'll inform whoever tries to stop us of Emily's right to leave and the right to privacy about her enrollment. They won't be allowed to contact the Junk's and they probably won't even know she's left until they're served with the PFA papers," said Aubrey. Jaiden glanced at her again, appreciatively this time.

"Thank you, so much," she said as she turned her attention back to the road. "I know you're probably busy being a lawyer and all. It means a lot that you took the time to do this."

"Please, don't even worry about it. Chloe is the closest thing I have to a sister, and you're her family. Plus, I happen to find you much more enjoyable than your sister."

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't say that if you knew me before I came to Barden," Jaiden told her. Maybe it was the setting sun ahead of them, or the strange sort of altered reality that long car rides offered, but Jaiden felt strangely open. She was rarely up for conversations about her past, yet Aubrey had always offered to listen in the few situations they had encountered one another in.

"Yeah?" the blonde pushed curiously.

"I mean, hasn't Chloe told you the, uh, whole story?"

"Not really. I've only heard bits and pieces."

"Considering how up in my business she is, I honestly find that incredible," Jaiden laughed dryly and pulled out into the passing lane to get ahead of the few cars in front of them. The interstate became open in front of them and Jaiden pressed the gas pedal until they were at a comfortable 75 mph. "Well, our parents got divorced when I was younger. Beca went with…our dad and I went with our mother. She got remarried pretty soon after. Things were okay for a while. Just, you know, the typical small-town alcoholic stepfather."  
"I know the type," Aubrey said.

"Yeah. He didn't seem that bad at first, honestly. Then I came out to my mom and she told him. That's when things got bad. He was one of those self-righteous, threaten-the-gay-away type of Christians. Eventually, he started following through on his threats."

"And your mom knew?"

"She pretended not to as long as she could. Eventually, I ended up in the hospital and she couldn't really ignore it anymore because he went to jail," Jaiden slowed down as she spotted a cop and paused until she was sure he wasn't going to come after her. "Anyways, I blamed Beca for not doing anything to stop him for a long time, but we were just kids. She tried."

"But, you two are good now, right? I mean, things seem pretty good between you."

"Yeah. Things are better than I ever really expected them to be," Jaiden replied. "At first, I was really pissed at Chloe for trying to force us together but, she got things moving. I owe a lot to her."

"Do you ever tell her that?" Aubrey arched an eyebrow at the younger girl and watched as her face reddened.

"No. I should, I know. It's just hard to talk to them sometimes. They take everything I say so _seriously_. Maybe I'm not used to that. Either way, I just get so uncomfortable sometimes. Beca does too. It's just in our nature."

"I can understand that. It doesn't mean you shouldn't try, though," said Aubrey. Jaiden took a deep breath and nodded; knowing that the older woman was right.

"I know," Jaiden muttered.

The conversation lulled for a while, but the silence was comfortable and Jaiden found herself mindlessly humming along to the radio as she drive. Soon, it was dark and the hours passed more quickly than she realized. It wasn't until Aubrey touched her arm that she noticed the gas tank was nearly empty and there was a small gas station ahead on the right.

"I can take over if you want. We're over halfway there," Aubrey offered as they pulled in next to a pump. Jaiden took a second to stretch and then shook her head.

"I'm actually good. Plus, it's the least I can do to drive. But, here," she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a few crumpled bills. "I wouldn't mind a Redbull."

"Sure," Aubrey opened her door and unbuckled her seatbelt as she took the money. Jaiden followed and filled the tank up while the older woman made a quick round through the station's small store. A few minutes later, they were back in the car and ready to go.

—-

The duo got to the motel around 3 a.m., and Aubrey went straight to bed; claiming she needed as much sleep as possible to "stay sharp" in the morning. Jaiden, on the other hand, walked across the road and bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She wasn't much of a smoker, but she knew it would calm her nerves and she couldn't stop thinking of all the ways the next day could go wrong. She got through a quarter of her pack before finally deciding to call it quits and head inside. Careful not to wake Aubrey, she got a quick shower to rid herself of the smoke smell and crashed on the couch with her phone in hand. Despite her fatigue, she stayed awake until Aubrey's alarm went off and then feigned waking up as the blonde rolled out of bed.

"Ready to do this?" Aubrey yawned.

"Yep," Jaiden nodded. She had to be.

 ** _Drama ahead! Beep Beep! Let me know what you'd like to see but I've already started the next chapter. I'll try to incorporate anything I can in! And please don't forget to review bc my hand is killing me!_**


	40. Chapter 40

"Is this professional enough?" Jaiden buttoned the front of her blazer up and straightened her belt nervously. Her mind was practically buzzing with all the ways the day could play out. She was terrified of most of the situations she could come up with.

"Considering you're the photographer, you might be overdressed," Aubrey handed her a rather large camera and Jaiden slung it around her neck.

"But, I look realistic, right?"

"Jaiden, relax. You look fine," Aubrey assured her. "Ready?"

"Yeah," said Jaiden. "Let's do this. Let's go."

"Okay then," Aubrey grabbed her keys and started towards the door. Jaiden took a deep breath, tried to steady herself, and followed her.

—

"We've got this, right? She's in there?" Jaiden stared at the building in front of them and gripped the door handle tightly. Her palms were sweating and she could hear her own heartbeat loud and clear in her ears.

"There's only one way to find out," Aubrey replied. The blonde reached over and squeezed Jaiden's shoulder reassuringly. "Come on."

The two women got out of the car and stepped onto the dark pavement. It was a chilly morning, but mild for mid-December. Jaiden still felt herself shivering as she walked towards the entrance and continued to glance towards Aubrey every few seconds to remind herself that someone had her back in this. She followed the taller woman through the doors and tried not to look as scared as she felt. As soon as they were in the lobby, she was scanning for a familiar face.

"You must be the reporters! Welcome! I think we spoke on the phone." The woman at the front desk jumped up to greet Aubrey and she flashed her a brilliant smile. "I take it that you're Jane?"

"Guilty," Aubrey laughed. Jaiden found herself stunned at how well she put on the facade. "This is my photographer, Lynn." She forced herself to wave and smile as she was introduced and gripped her camera tightly. "Would it be alright if she went around and took some pictures while I conduct my interviews?"

"Oh, absolutely! Here," the woman paused and scrambled back around her desk. She produced a map printed on a pink sheet of paper seconds later and thrust it into Jaiden's hands. "The second floor is off limits because that's where the majority of the dorms are, but the ground floor is all yours. Just a warning though; the cafeteria is full right now because our patients are still having their breakfast." Jaiden's eyes widened at the information and she quickly masked her reaction.

"Great. I'll, uh, be on my way," Jaiden excused herself and glanced at Aubrey out of the corner of her eye. She struggled to keep her pace at an unsuspicious rate and stared down at the map in her hands. If Emily was here, she was at the end of the hallway. She was so close. Jaiden all but forced herself not to run as the sounds of voices got louder and louder. Her pulse sped up as she opened the two large doors and burst into the cafeteria. There were at least 10 full tables and Jaiden moved quickly through the rows of them, desperation growing with each step.

"Emily?" the name left her mouth before she could stop herself. No one seemed to notice and she moved faster.

"Em-" Jaiden voice cut out as a pair of brown eyes met her own and she stopped dead in her tracks. The volume of the cafeteria seemed to drop and Jaiden felt her throat tighten. She couldn't move until Emily's body crashed against her own and she felt the younger girl's arms tighten around her.

"Jaiden," Emily's voice shook and she clung to Jaiden.

"Come on, we've got to go." The older girl pulled back and took her hand. By now, they had started to attract attention. Emily's eyes flickered with fear as she noticed two orderlies walking towards them.

"I can't," Emily shook her head tearfully. "Jaiden, my parents-"

"It's taken care of, but you _have_ to trust me. Please, Em. I can't leave here without you," Jaiden pleaded. She saw the hesitation in Emily's eyes and squeezed her hands. " _Please."_

"Okay," the younger girl nodded finally. Jaiden glanced around the now significantly quieter room and felt fear bubble in her stomach.

"Excuse me, what's going on here?" A man dressed in white scrubs eyed Jaiden warily as he approached. Jaiden could feel Emily tense beside her and the fear she felt was quickly replaced by anger and she pulled the brunette behind her.

"We're leaving. You have no legal right to keep her here," Jaiden brushed past him, Emily in tow, and made a beeline for the door. She knew they would be followed, so she pulled out her phone and handed it to Emily.

"Text Aubrey. Tell her we're on our way."

"Aubrey's here?"

"She's taking care of the legal stuff," Jaiden took a right turn and fished the map out of her pocket. They would take the long way to the lobby to ensure Aubrey would be there before them.

"How did you find me?" Emily quickened her pace so that she was beside Jaiden and held onto her arm. The older girl's skin felt warm under her fingertips and she still had trouble believing that she was actually here.

"Both of you, slow down!" A voice boomed out from behind them and Jaiden glanced over her shoulder. The orderly was starting to speed up.

"They asked for your medical records and Dr. Wilson looked this place up. She's going to testify against your parents at the PFA hearing."

"PFA?"

"Protection from Abuse. It's a restraining order. We're dropping off the forms on the way home. Your parents won't be able to touch you," Jaiden replied. She glanced at the map again and took a hard left.

"Jaiden, they'll get to me-"

"No, they won't," Jaiden cut the girl off as they entered the lobby and saw Aubrey standing at the desk with three very important looking individuals. Emily's face paled; evidently she recognized them.

"- _if_ it becomes apparent that you contacted anyone about my client leaving this facility, I will sue this facility for breaching _patient_ confidentiality, since this is considered a medical facility under law."

"This isn't a medical facility-"

"I have read each and every one of your licenses and the _therapy_ you do is considered medical, despite the fact that it is complete and utter bullshit," Aubrey corrected her harshly and handed them a manila folder filled with papers. "You are authorized to stop charging the insurance you have on file for Ms. Junk, and that is it. Have a wonderful day." Aubrey glanced at the couple standing silently and nodded towards the door. "Let's go ladies."

"Wait," Jaiden piped up. "She needs to get her stuff."

"I gave them my address and they will send it in the mail. Come on," Aubrey waved them over and Jaiden breathed out a sigh of relief at the fact they didn't have to delay leaving. They followed the blonde outside and Jaiden felt Emily squeeze her arm even tighter. She opened the car door for her once they reached the SUV and jumped inside after she was in. While Emily was putting on her seatbelt, Jaiden sent a quick text to Aubrey, who was already in the front seat.

 _Can we pull over somewhere so we can have some privacy?_

"I've got to get gas," Aubrey glanced in the rearview mirror and gave a slight nod towards Jaiden. "You two can get out and take a walk while we're at the station. I'm sure you have lots to talk about."

"Okay," Jaiden exchanged a glance with the girl at her side and she pulled on her own seatbelt.

The 15 minute car ride to the nearest gas station was silent, and Jaiden's heartbeat gradually returned to normal. Once they were parked at a pump, Jaiden opened her door and slid out, knowing Emily would follow. They walked around to the back of the gas station, neither of them speaking, and eventually came to a stop. Before Jaiden could even turn around entirely, the younger girl had thrust herself into her arms and pressed their lips together.

"I'm sorry," Emily pulled back long enough to murmur the apology and then kissed her again. It was desperate, longing, and Jaiden felt her heart break as she reached up and cupped her face, only to feel tears rushing down it.

"Hey," Jaiden pressed their foreheads together and wiped away the few droplets on her cheeks. "It's alright. You're okay. Everything's okay."

"I left you," Emily whimpered.

"But, I got you back. That's all that matters."

"You h-have to hate me." Emily was getting more and more worked up by the second. Her breath hitched in her throat and she struggled to blink away the hot sting in her eyes.

"Emily, no. I love you," Jaiden's eyebrows furrowed and she stared at Emily helplessly. "And unless you…you don't want this anymore-"

"I don't deserve you." The younger girl's body shook and she stifled a small sob. Jaiden felt her chest constrict and she sucked in a deep breath; willing herself not to lose it.

"Emily, you are the _love of my life_ ," Jaiden emphasized weakly. "I want you. You're the…you're the best thing that has ever happened to me and I will tell you that as long as you need me to. I don't know what they did to you in there but you and I belong together and I'm not letting someone else rip you away from me. I love you. I will _fight_ for you."

"I'm sorry. I love you. I love you so much," Emily breathed the last sentence against Jaiden's lips before kissing her again. The brunette could feel her anxiety quelling for the first time in two weeks as Jaiden's hands caressed her waist.

"Come on," Jaiden sighed as she pulled back. "Aubrey's waiting. Let's go home."

—-

Six hours and two rest stops later, Aubrey pulled up next to the sidewalk outside of the apartment complex and put her SUV in park.

"Okay ladies, I have everything I need. The courthouse is open for another half and hour, so I need to run." The blonde looked back at the pair from the front seat and nodded towards the building.

"Thanks again, Aubrey. For everything." The older woman could tell by Jaiden's tone that she meant the long discussions during the car ride down as well as all the legal help.

"Thank you," Emily piped up as Jaiden slid out of the vehicle and offered her a hand. Aubrey waited for her to grab her bag and shut the back door, then sped off downtown.

"They missed you," she warned, taking Emily's hand and walking her to the door. "So, you know, be prepared for that."

"I missed them too," Emily assured her. They made their way to the elevator and stepped in; resting in comfortable silence for the rest of the way to the apartment. Jaiden eventually pulled her keys out of her back pocket and opened the door for her. For the first time since she got back from the hospital, the apartment felt like her home again.

"Hey!" Chloe rounded the hallway corner with almost ridiculous speed and her blue eyes flashed excitedly as she spotted the two girls. "Welcome back!" She threw her arms around Emily and hugged the younger girl tightly. Beca entered the hallway at a much calmer pace and couldn't help but smile as she watched the small reunion.

"Hey, kid," She offered once Chloe had finally released the 18 year old. Emily, who was almost beaming, looked down at her and was caught off guard when Beca pulled her into a tight hug. "Glad to have you back."

"Are you hungry?" Chloe put her hand on Emily's back and started guiding her towards the kitchen. Jaiden was about to follow, but Beca gripped her arm and held her back.

"I need to tell you something that Chloe and I discussed last night," Beca's voice had a small hint of nerves in it and Jaiden frowned in confusion.

"Okay?"

"We're, um…we're going to try to have a baby." Jaiden's eyes widened and for a few seconds, she was at a loss for words. "Please say something," Beca pleaded.

"Beca," Jaiden breathed out finally. "That's…that's amazing."

"So, you're not mad or upset or anything?"

"What? No!" Jaiden shook her head and scoffed. "I'm happy for you guys. Really. And I get to be an aunt. This is great."

 ** _Hey guys, this story hasn't been getting many views/reviews, so i think it might be coming to a hiatus for a while. I tried to wrap up some stuff but leave a little if i decide to continue someday. Thanks for reading!_**


	41. Chapter 41

"Em?" Jaiden shook the sleeping girl's shoulder lately, trying to jar her from the apparent bad dream plaguing her. It was 2 in the morning and she had woken to the feeling of Emily tossing and turning beside her, along with the occasionally murmur of something indecipherable. "Hey, wake up. Em, wake up."

The brunette jolted awake with such intensity that Jaiden instinctively moved back and felt her body slip off the side of their bed. Emily looked around the room, still slightly panicked and disoriented from the darkness, as Jaiden sat up on the carpet and rubbed the back of her head.

"Jaiden?"

"I'm down here," she replied quickly. She fumbled to get to her feet and slid back under the still-warm blankets next to Emily.

"I'm sorry," Emily mumbled.

"It's alright," Jaiden reached out in the darkness and cupped one side of her face with her hand. "Are you okay?" She could feel Emily nod against her touch and leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. Suddenly, the other girl moved swiftly and swung one leg over Jaiden; planting herself firmly in her lap.

"Hey," Jaiden looked up at her and squinted in an attempt to make out her face. The lack of light didn't hinder Emily as she leaned down and pressed their lips together with an intensity that pulled Jaiden right out of her sleep-induced stupor. Her hands found their way to Emily's waist as their lips moved together smoothly; as if they hadn't been separated for what had seemed like the longest weeks of their lives.

As the kiss lasted, the need in Emily's chest caused her hands to pull Jaiden impossibly closer. The older of the two felt heat run through ever nerve in her body and mustered up the strength to pull away.

"Em," she whispered in the dark bedroom, breathless, "what—"

" _I need you_ ," Emily rolled her hips against Jaiden and the other girl felt her breath catch in the back of her throat. " _Please_ ," she kissed her again, harder, and pressed against her once more. She felt Jaiden relent and tangle her fingers in her hair. The two leaned back and Jaiden barely managed to stifle a moan as Emily slid her leg between her thighs and pressed up against her. Having Emily on top of her, warm and close, so confident in every move she made didn't seem real. She reached up and tugged at the hem of Emily's sweatshirt. The girl had nothing underneath and she fumbled for the bottom of Jaiden's tank-top. The older of the two arched her back as Emily reached around and unclasped her bra. The pieces of fabric fell to the floor as their torsos collided—bare and radiating heat upon contact. Emily stroked the light texture of Jaiden's ribs and left trails of goosebumps up and down the brunette's flesh. Jaiden pushed up against her with the intention of flipping them over, but found herself being pinned down with her wrists clasped in Emily's hands. Her heart jolted when she felt teeth dig into her bottom lip and scrape against the sensitive flesh.

" _I love you_ ," Emily pulled back and moved down to her neck. Her hands yanked Jaiden's sweatpants down and she slid a hand into the girl's Calvin's. This time, Jaiden couldn't stop herself from moaning aloud and her fingertips dug into Emily's back. Her hips rose to meet the movements of Emily's hand and the rate of her breathing continued to rise in response. It was foreign to her; having Emily so in control and aggressive. The new demeanor made Jaiden feel _secure_ with her again. Emily was here and Jaiden was hers.

"Tell me you won't go again," the words escaped Jaiden's parted lips before she could stop them and she tensed as Emily's movements stalled. The hesitation only lasted a brief second and Jaiden was taken off guard when the younger girl attacked her lips again.

" _I won't,"_ Emily panted out and slid two fingers into Jaiden. " _I promise."_ Jaiden's hips bucked and she gasped against Emily's lips.

—

Jaiden woke up with her head on Emily's chest and the feelings of the younger girl tracing patterns across her bare back.

"How long have you been up?" she mumbled groggily.

"A while," Emily shrugged. "Want some coffee?"

"Sure," Jaiden leaned up and kissed her before rolling out of bed and shivering. The apartment was cold and she hurried to pull on her discarded sweatpants and a hoodie. She felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her from behind and sank back into Emily's embrace tiredly.

"I love you so much," Emily planted a kiss on the side of her neck and squeezed her tightly before releasing her. The two young women walked down the hallway and entered the kitchen together. Unsurprisingly enough, Chloe was already awake and cooking breakfast.

"Hey," the redhead grinned and rolled the sausages in her frying pan, "sounded like you guys had fun last night."

"Oh my God," Jaiden winced at the comment and glanced apologetically at Emily.

"I'm sure you're both hungry," said Chloe just as cheerily. "Fix a plate."

"God, Chloe, don't bother with a filter," Jaiden eyed the redhead and handed Emily a plate.

"I'm just happy for you guys! And excited that Emily is back in time for Thanksgiving."

" _Shit_ ," Jaiden breathed out with a frown, "Thanksgiving is this Thursday."

"You don't sound excited," noted Emily. She stared at Jaiden, waiting for a clarification. "Why don't you like Thanksgiving?"

"It's not really Thanksgiving," Jaiden started defensively, "I just don't really vibe with the whole holiday season thing."

"The holidays are the _best_ time of the year," Chloe dumped the sausages onto a plate and slid them towards the two girls. "How can you not love them?"

"Bad experiences, I guess," shrugged Jaiden. "Em, back me up here?"

"I'm sorry," Emily smiled nervously and then nodded at Chloe, "I actually really love the holidays. It is kind of the best time."

"I see that I'm outnumbered."

"Yeah, your sister likes it now too. I made her. And I'll make you," Chloe beamed and turned the stove off. The redhead began to fix her own breakfast just as her wife came trudging into the kitchen.

"Morning, babe," Chloe kissed the sleepy brunette on the top of her head and smiled to herself as Beca grunted.

"She really has the holiday spirit," Jaiden sipped at a mug of coffee and smirked. Chloe smirked back and turned to her wife.

"What you we say, babe?"

" _Yay, Christmas_ ," Beca glanced at her sister apologetically and blew at the steam coming from her own mug.

"You're all unbearable—ow," Jaiden grimaced as Emily's foot collided with her leg under the table.

"Come on, Thanksgiving is going to be great. You know how good at cooking I am and it's just going to be the four of us. And then we can put up Christmas decorations the day after—"

"Okay, one step at a time," Jaiden cut Chloe off and took a bite of eggs. "Obviously I'm not going to skip Thanksgiving. I'll power through."

"That's all I ask," Chloe grinned.

 ** _College has been crazy. Glad I have time to work on this again. Please let me know what you'd like to see!_**


	42. Chapter 42

"Beca?" It was the next day, and Jaiden was staring out of their living room window. Squinting through the glass panes, she waited for her sister to approach behind her. "Who's car does that look like?"

"Shit," the shorter of the two mumbled, leaning against the window sill. "Well, I'll call the cops."

"I can take care of it."

"Hey, no," Beca held her hand up as she dialed 911 and held her phone to her ear. Jaiden waited, frozen several steps from the window, while her sister began to answer the operator's questions and looked back out into the street. The second she turned away, Jaiden took off silently towards the front of the apartment. On her way out, she passed the kitchen where Emily was helping Chloe prep for the following day and felt her jaw lock.

Too impatient to wait for the elevator, she bypassed the doors and went for the stairwell instead. Her footsteps echoed harshly off of the concrete walls and she sprinted down with the knowledge that Beca would probably pursue her soon.

After bursting through the lobby and out into the street, Jaiden was pelted by a cold gust of wind and rain hesitated for a moment on the sidewalk. The 18 year old held up a hand so that she could see through the late-fall rainstorm and stepped out into the flooding road. Her shoes send splashes of water onto the bottom of her sweats and Jaiden skidded to a stop beside the dark red car parked near the curb. The streetlights illuminated the figures inside and Jaiden aimed a kick at the driver's side door.

"Get the fuck out of the car," she kicked again, "because I have a free pass to kick the shit out of you both."

" _Jaiden!"_ Beca's voice sounded muffled through the rain, even from her position on the other side of the street, " _don't. The cops are coming."_

"Get the fuck out!" Jaiden ignored her sister's shouts and threw a punch against the window. The glass cracked and she could make out Mr. Junk's angry face from the inside. She managed to shove her fist through the window just before Beca got to her and grabbed her arms.

"Hey, stop while you still can," Beca warned her in a low voice. The throbbing in her hand and the sound of her own pulse in her ears were enough to distract her from the temptation she felt to reach in and grab Emily's father by the throat. "Inside, now," Beca instructed. Jaiden released a held in breath and allowed herself to be drug back across the road and into the lobby.

"Did Emily see you leave?" Jaiden's hair dripped water onto the floor of the apartment building and she flexed her dominant hand, wincing in pain even though she could feel nothing was broken.

"No," Beca pulled her into the waiting elevator and pressed the button for their floor irritably, "but when are you going to stop being so reckless? You just broke their fucking car door."

"I'm not going to get in trouble—they're breaking the PFA."

"I don't care. You could have broken your fucking hand or cut it open on the glass-"

" _I_ don't care, Beca! I'm sick of this shit," Jaiden cut her off as the elevator doors opened and walked back down the hall towards their door.

"You might not care, but Emily will. You can't scare people like this, dude."

"Shit," Jaiden's voice softened as she reached for the handle with her good hand, "I'm sorry. You're right."

"I know," Beca squeezed her shoulder as they walked back into the apartment. "Go tell her what's going on." Jaiden nodded and took off her rain-soaked hoodie before heading into the kitchen.

"Em?" The long haired brunette looked up at Jaiden voice and frowned in confusion at the state her girlfriend was in.

"Why do you look like a drowned rat?"

"Uh, look, your parents are outside. But, don't freak out—" Jaiden held her hands up and crossed to the other side of the kitchen at the look on Emily's face, "—Beca already called the cops."

"Were you out there? What happened?"

"Nothing happened—I broke one of the car windows and like, dented a door a little, but it's fine."

"Jaiden!" Chloe set down the knife in her hands and grabbed Jaiden's arm to inspect the swelling knuckles she had spotted.

"I'm fine, really. Everything's fine; that's what I came in to say. It's alright," Jaiden pulled her hand away and kissed Emily's cheek. "I promise."

"Okay," Emily nodded and met Jaiden's gaze.

"Be happy, okay? It's the holidays," Jaiden smiled teasingly and touched their foreheads together. "When you and Martha Stewart are done in here, I have a little surprise, okay?"  
"I'm taking that nickname as a compliment," Chloe piped up.

"I knew you would," Jaiden responded. "Have fun, babe."

Emily watched Jaiden head back down the hallway and finally turned back to the copious amounts of bread she still had to tear up.

"So, I'm not sure if Jaiden told you yet, but Beca and I have a little bit of an announcement," Chloe started out excitedly. Emily looked over at her with a mix of surprise and anticipation while her hands worked to pull apart the premature stuffing. "We've decided to start trying for a baby."

"Oh my God," Emily tossed the ingredients into the large bowl in front of her and crossed the kitchen excitedly, "Chloe, that's amazing! I'm so excited for you!"  
"We haven't really, you know, _started_ yet," Chloe chuckled as the younger girl hugged her. "But, we're thinking of beginning the process really soon."

"This is so great," Emily said. "I _love_ kids. Jaiden's really good with them too."

"She is?" Chloe arched an eyebrow skeptically.

"Oh yeah," Emily nodded, "we went to the park one day and she basically just attracts them. I sat on a bench with some moms while she let, like, seven toddlers drag her around."

"Hmm," Chloe shrugged and went back to chopping up vegetables, "didn't see that coming."

—

"Thanks again for the beer, dude," Jaiden struck a match and tossed it into the fireplace before turning towards her sister. The living room was partially illuminated by the police lights on the street below and Jaiden had been forcing herself not to watch the action outside.

"No problem. Just, you know, don't get too rowdy and don't tell Chloe I bought it for you," Beca winked from her position at the window. She was keeping an eye on the situation—knowing that if her sister did her temper would flare again.

"I won't. Did they get arrested yet?"

"Cops are putting the cuffs on right now. Her dad looks pissed."

"Good," Jaiden closed the fireplace doors and got to her feet. Surveying the room with her hands on her hips, she nodded approvingly to herself. She had a knack for planning date nights and she knew it. Despite her apprehension towards the holidays, she wasn't opposed to a cozy movie date with a few beers and a horror movie, considering the weather outside.

"Here," Beca twisted the top off of a bottle and handed it to her younger sister. The two collapsed on the couch together and clinked their beers together.

"We turned out pretty well, huh?" Beca rested her head on Jaiden's shoulder and sipped at her drink.

"You think so? I mean…think about it," Jaiden started, "I was in a hospital for trying to kill myself a few months ago. I broke a car window with my fist like 20 minutes ago-"

"Can you not be a negative asshole for like, three seconds?" Beca interrupted. "Thanks. I'm married. You have the nicest girlfriend I could ever imagine you with. We're both healthy…for once. Everything turned out alright."

"You're going to have a kid soon," Jaiden reminded her. "Speaking of which—what's the plan? Like which one of you is gonna carry the baby? Or, like, are you going to adopt?"

"Well, nothing is completely set in stone yet, but we think Chloe's going to carry. You may not have noticed but I am very small, which means there'd be more risk for complications."

"Wow," Jaiden said, "you guys have really done your research."  
"Yeah, well, it's a big step."

"I know," the younger of the two raised an eyebrow as she watched her sister drain the rest of her beer. "You're terrified."

"No shit," Beca sighed. She was about to continue when Emily stepped into the room.

"You're done," Jaiden stood up from the couch and set her beer down on the coffee table. "Shit, I was gonna light some candles."

"I'll give you two some alone time," Beca excused herself and exited the room quickly; always skilled at making a quick escape.

"What's all this?" Emily looked around at the blankets and the fireplace and the two six-backs of beer.

"I just figured we could relax, now that you're home and all," Jaiden shrugged. Her nerves, which were always present when she showed affection like this, subsided as Emily smiled and kissed her.

"You're too good to me."

"Not even close."

—

"It's 9:00 and we're in bed. We're turning into old people."

Chloe looked up from her novel and rolled her eyes at her wife's complaint.

"No, we're just well rested young adults."

"Which means we're responsible…which means we're old. That's how it works."

"If you're that disgruntled, we don't have to go to sleep. I can think of something else we could do," Chloe set her book aside, rolled over, and set herself halfway on top of her wife.

"Oh, do you?"

"I have a few things in mind, actually."

—

"Why do we always have to watch something scary?" Jaiden feigned disinterest even though she loved the way Emily's arms tightened around her waist every time something jumped out on the screen. The brunette was clinging to her under the softest blanket Jaiden had found in the apartment, head laid on the older girl's chest.

"I like them."

"I couldn't tell," Jaiden watched as Emily polished off her fifth beer and kissed her on the top of her head.

"But, I can think of something that I like more," Emily smirked as she lifted her head and met Jaiden's gaze. The movie quickly faded to background noise as she kissed her roughly and crawled the entire way on top of her.

"What's gotten into you lately?" Jaiden mumbled, barely forcing herself to pull away.

"I spent weeks locked in a place that told me everything about what we're doing is wrong."

The weight of the explanation hit Jaiden and she sat up slightly. Along with that movement came the buzz from the alcohol in her own veins, and she realized Emily was drunk.

"Is this just you trying to convince yourself that it isn't?"

"I don't know," tears sprang to life in the 18 year old's eyes. "They just…they tore us down so much—"

"Okay," Jaiden slid out from under her and got to her feet. She fumbled to grab another beer as Emily stared up at her and fought back tears.

"Jaiden,"

"You told me you loved me last night, remember? I just need some space to, uh, think and stuff," Jaiden's voice rose and she cleared her throat in an attempt to hide it.

"Jaiden, please don't—"

"Just go to sleep. I'll be inside in a bit," Jaiden walked out of the living room, slightly woozy from the stress and the beer, and slipped her shoes on at the end of the hall.

"I'm not letting you walk out alone," Emily hurried after her and hurried to mirror her actions by grabbing shoes and a jacket on the way out the door.

"Fine, I guess we'll just talk about it then. You don't want to be gay? You think…you think _we're_ wrong?" Jaiden jaw locked after she asked the questions and she pulled her hand away when Emily tried to grab her hand. Her mind was whirring and she couldn't comprehend the idea that after everything, something was still between them.

"No, please just listen to me," Emily pleaded. "Jaiden, you don't understand what they did to us in there."

"Then tell me. _Help_ me understand because you really can't expect me to when you never open up," Jaiden snapped. She shoved open the door to the stairwell and began her ascent to the roof with Emily close behind. Neither one of them spoke until they stepped out into the cold air on the apartment building's rooftop. The rain had stopped nearly half an hour ago and the cement was slick under their shoes.

"Jaiden, it wasn't just some bible camp where they read scriptures to us. I sat in a chair with a photo of you projected on a screen and an IV in my arm that they filled with something to make me vomit. They made us take ice baths until we couldn't feel our limbs anymore and then told us to imagine that feeling any time we had 'perverse thoughts'. I had to sit in groups and listen to how broken I was because I love you. They make you doubt if you even really are gay."  
"So, it worked?" Jaiden leaned against the brick siding that encased the rooftop and stared at the town below—unable to look at the other girl.

"No, it didn't fucking work! That's what I'm trying to tell you. Last night, I needed to prove that to myself because I've been scared since I got out that it might have!" Emily's voice rose and she grabbed Jaiden by the arm and forced her to turn around, "You need to step up and help me deal with this instead of getting mad."

"I'm sorry," Jaiden murmured after a few seconds. "I thought…I thought you didn't love me anymore."

"I know," Emily nodded. "I understand. I just needed you to."

"I'm so sorry, Em."

"It's okay. I love you, Jaiden. Let's just go to bed."

Another instance of their usual roles switching—Emily wrapped an arm around Jaiden's shoulders and began to lead them both towards the stairwell entrance as the wind picked up. Their descent back down to the apartment was silent while Jaiden simmered in her embarrassment at reacting so emotionally. By the time they had snuck back into the apartment and their room, Jaiden was desperate for sleep and stripped down to her underwear without a word. She was under the blankets and clenching her eyes shut by the time Emily slid in beside her. To her surprise, the younger girl nestled up against her back and threw an arm around her waist regardless of how the night had turned out.

 ** _On midterm break rn so i should have another installment up within the next few days. Feel free to review and thanks for all the traffic!_**


	43. Chapter 43

The next morning, Jaiden woke to the smell of turkey cooking, an empty bed, and a headache. Mouth dry and tasting faintly of stale beer, she trudged into the bathroom and brushed her teeth tiredly. Her eyes were bloodshot and she couldn't help but notice how haggard her features appeared even after she washed her face. The growing aroma in the apartment left a strange knot in her stomach and a feeling of sickening nostalgia floating through her mind. How the holidays had changed since she and Beca were kids.

After a minute of hesitation, Jaiden made herself walk down the hallway and enter the kitchen. She headed straight to the coffee machine amidst the blur of chaos that was her sister's wife.

"Good morning!" the redhead called as she sprinted between the stove and whirring mixer on the opposite countertop.

"Hey," Jaiden grabbed a mug out of the cabinet above her and programmed the Keurig, "where is everyone?"

"I sent Beca and Em to the store to pick up some last minute stuff. They should be back in like 15 minutes."

"I can't believe you forgot something," Jaiden pulled her hair back into a ponytail as the coffee brewed and grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl. "Did Em seem cool?"

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked distractedly. "What did you do?"

"Last night got…tense," Jaiden muttered—a little ashamed that Chloe immediately figured out that she had messed up.

"Are you going to elaborate?"

"I don't really know what happened. We got drunk—"

"—typical," Chloe snorted.

"Listen, I got freaked out last night. She's been really, like, different since she got back and I asked her what was going on and," Jaiden's voice broke off for a moment and she took a drink of coffee to cover the emotion in her tone, "she sounded like she was having doubts about us. Because of what that place did to her."

"Of course she's acting different. Do you know how bad those places are?"

"Only from what she told me after I got upset."

"Well, I know from experience."

"What?" Jaiden hopped onto the counter, mug in hand, and stared at Chloe's back, which was turned towards her. "You were…why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it was a horrible experience and you didn't need to hear about that while Emily was there."

"Does Beca know?"

"Nope."

"Why wouldn't you tell her?" Jaiden frowned.

"She didn't need to hear it either," said Chloe. "It wouldn't have helped anyone at the time."

"What happened?"

"I checked myself in before I started my freshman year. I only lasted a week and a half before I withdrew myself. It was awful. They really get into your head."

"Did it make you, you know, doubt whether or not you liked girls?"

"No," Chloe shook her head and turned away from the counter. Thermometer in hand, she opened the oven beside Jaiden and jabbed the piece of metal into the large turkey inside. "It made me realize it might be hard sometimes and that some people would hate me for it."

"Well, what can I do for her? To help her forget it?"

"She won't," Chloe closed the oven and put the thermometer aside, "but that's alright. Just give her some time to realize that it's safe to love you." Jaiden was about to voice her doubts when the sound of the front door opening interrupted their conversation. The 18 year old slid down off of the counter and sipped at her coffee; anxious to see Emily and gauge her attitude towards her. Beca entered the kitchen first, arms full of groceries, and set them down on the crowded countertop. Emily followed close behind, also carrying bags, and shot a quick glance towards Jaiden. The older couple quickly got distracted by each other and the apparently endless amount of tasks scheduled for the day, so Jaiden moved to Emily's side and squeezed her hand tentatively.

"Can we talk?" she tugged Emily out of the kitchen and into the adjacent hallway.

"We don't have to, it's fine."

"Yes, but I want to. Please?"

The younger of the two reluctantly followed her into their shared bedroom and Jaiden closed the door behind them both.

"I love you," Jaiden took both of Emily's hands in her own after setting her coffee on her dresser. "I'm sorry I panicked last night. I know that's not what you need from me right now, but you have to tell me what I can do. I feel a little helpless here."

"You can let me process this in my own way," Jaiden averted her gaze, ashamed at her actions, and let her grasp loosen on Emily's hands.

"Okay."

"Which is what I was trying—" Emily pressed against her and began to back both of them towards Jaiden's bed, "—to do last night."

"Oh," Jaiden's eyes widened in realization and she felt the back of her knees hit the mattress.

"Yeah, _oh_ ," Emily mocked her with a playful smirk and tilted her head to the side. "So, do you want to give me what I need or not?"

Jaiden sat down on the edge of the bed and took Emily's hips in her hands.

"Of course I do," Jaiden began to pull the younger girl's shirt up and pressed her lips to Emily's skin. Warmth spread across her own flesh as she realized the sincerity behind Emily's advances over the past few days. It hadn't been forced. She genuinely wanted her.

—

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Aubrey shoved the pie she had made the night before into Beca's hands and breezed right into the apartment to find her best friend.

"Gee, thanks Posen," Beca followed the blonde down the hallway with an eye-roll and watched her wife light up at the sight of the older woman. She had never thought that she would have such a soft spot for Aubrey when they first met, but now she found herself fond of her.

"Where are your kids?" Chloe laughed at the question and wiped away a streak of flour on her forehead.

"They're in Jaiden's room, doing God knows what," answered Beca.

"They missed each other a lot."

"I don't like to think about it," the brunette shot her wife a grossed out look and shuddered.

"No trouble from her parents?" Aubrey pulled her hair back and took over stirring a boiling pot on the stove. Beca grimaced and shrugged.

"Well, they came here and got arrested last night, so I guess you could see there was a little trouble."

"Also Jaiden punched through their window," added Chloe.

"Well, I see that the Mitchell temper is hereditary," Aubrey said. Beca scoffed and sat herself down at the counter to watch the two cook together.

"Yep, so watch out."

"No threats on Thanksgiving, please," Chloe warned her.

"Sorry babe. Is it to early to start drinking wine?"

"It's 11:30 a.m., babe."

"Great. I'll grab some merlot," the small woman jumped up and ran to their wine cabinet across the kitchen.

"And so the holidays begin," Aubrey noted.

"Aubrey, hey," Jaiden's presence in the kitchen hadn't been noticed until she spoke, and the older trio jumped in surprise.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" the blonde smiled brightly and nodded at Emily when she appeared behind Jaiden in the doorway.

"Yeah, you too," Jaiden replied in a less than enthusiastic tone.

"Do you guys need any help?" Emily brushed past her girlfriend and allowed Chloe to direct her towards an incomplete task in the kitchen.

"Thanks," Jaiden nodded at her sister as the older girl came to her rescue with a glass of wine.

"Today is going to be good," Beca told her earnestly. "I promise." Their glasses clinked together and the siblings retreated to their living room and gave their lovers the kitchen.

 ** _hey folks don't forget to review or give feedback or even pm me because your validation and praise gives me a reason to live lmao_**


	44. Chapter 44

"Jaiden, look, I need you to not freak out," Jaiden broke out of her drunken trance and turned away from the football game on the TV at her sister's warning.

"What?"

"I invited Dad over for dinner…"

"Okay?" Jaiden took another swig of her beer and shrugged. "Why would I freak out?"

"I just figured, you know, things are weird between you two…"

"He's letting Em go to school next year for free. I'm not going to act like he can't come around."

"Well, that's a little manipulative, isn't it?"

"I would argue, but we'd probably get in trouble for fighting on Thanksgiving and I'm planning on catching up for lost time tonight if you catch my drift."

"Jaiden, I hate thinking about your sex life."

"Speaking of," Jaiden changed the subject smoothly and took another drink from her bottle, "when are you and Chloe going to start trying for, you know, a baby?"

"Um, pretty soon actually."

"Who's carrying the kid?"

There were a few seconds of awkward silence and Beca swirled her wine in her glass. "Well," the small brunette began, "we got some news from the doctor. I can't, uh, actually carry kids."

"What?" Jaiden set her beer down and sat up straighter, "Beca, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I never really saw myself having kids before Chloe, so I'm not, you know, _crushed_ or anything. But, now that we are trying, it kind of sucks that I can't make my own mini-me."

"What about that thing they did on Grey's Anatomy that one time? They took the one chick's eggs, fertilized them, and then the other chick carried the baby. That way you and Chloe both get to be a part of the pregnancy."

"You're very smart," Beca noted affectionately.

"Only when I'm drunk," Jaiden smirked and picked up her beer bottle again.

"Try not to pass out before dinner, by the way," Beca warned.

"Please, I handle my alcohol better than anyone in the family."  
"Hey," both Mitchell siblings turned around as Emily entered the room and Jaiden got to her feet instinctively. "Are you going to help cook or what?"

"I…thought that was your thing," Jaiden smiled sheepishly.

"You're participating in Thanksgiving," Emily handed her girlfriend a fresh bottle of beer and took her nearly empty one. "Come on."

"Have fun. I'm gonna keep drinking," Beca raised her wine glass and snickered as her sister was led out of the den.

"I hope you know you're the only one I'd do this for," Jaiden reminded Emily as they walked down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"I knew that," Emily replied.

"So, what am I doing?"

"Nice of you to join us," Chloe, face streaked with flour, turned from the mess of a kitchen counter and beamed at Jaiden.

"You're not really helping, I just wanted you out here," Emily smirked and cleared off a spot on the counter opposite of Chloe's. She patted the granite surface and Jaiden leapt onto it as gracefully as she could manage with four beers in her system.

"You're very conniving," Jaiden pointed out. Emily placed a hand on either side of her and leaned against the older girl.

"I knew that too," she smirked. Jaiden planted a kiss on top of her head and twisted the cap off of her new beer.

"So, Emily, you're going to Barden next fall?" Aubrey reentered the kitchen and addressed the brunette as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"That's the plan," Emily responded. There was a hint of excitement in her voice and Jaiden smiled faintly when she heard it.

"What are you planning on studying?"

"Well, I've always wanted to be a teacher."

"You'd be so good at that! I could totally see you in charge of like, 30 kindergarteners," said Chloe.

"You would be good at that, babe," Jaiden agreed.

"But," Aubrey interjected, "don't be afraid to change your major if you get there and don't think its the right fit. I started out as a pre-med student."

"What made you switch?" Emily asked.

"My first semester of anatomy and physiology. Talk about hell."

"So, what time are we eating?" Jaiden asked. Now that she had stood up and moved around, the alcohol had gone to her head and her voice was far louder than usual. Emily looked up at her with a bemused glance and patted her leg affectionately.

"You've still got a few hours left, baby."

"Maybe you should take a nap," Aubrey suggested, laughing to herself at how flushed Jaiden's face looked.

"I think that's a great idea. Come on, I'll tuck you in," Emily took Jaiden by the hips and pulled her off of the counter.

"You guys think I'm drunk, and I'm _not_ ," Jaiden announced defensively.

"Maybe a little bit," Emily led her back into the hallway and into their bedroom. "I'll wake you up before dinner."

"Stay for a bit," Jaiden grabbed her girlfriend's arm firmly and reached around her to shut the door.

"Baby," Emily sighed, "there's a lot to do."  
"And I'm not at the top of that list?"

Emily rolled her eyes, but couldn't force herself to leave when Jaiden released her grip and wandered over to the bed. Her stomach twisted into familiar knots as the older girl pulled off her shirt and let it fall to the floor carelessly. A smirk crossed Jaiden's lips when she felt arms wrap around her waist and she quickly spun around to face the younger girl.

"I think we should put on some music," Jaiden suggested smugly.

"You're probably right. You scream my name pretty loudly," Emily fired back. Jaiden arched an eyebrow and watched as she made her way over to the speakers on her desk. By the time the younger brunette had queued up her music, Jaiden had stripped for her and was waiting for her reaction with knowing eyes. Emily's gaze traveled up and down her body in a way Jaiden was slowly growing accustomed to and she closed the distance between them so slowly it was agonizing.

"You know, I think I might really be getting into this holiday," Jaiden gripped Emily's hips as the younger girl lowered herself into her lap. "I can think of quite a few things to be thankful for."

"Yeah?" Emily arched an eyebrow and pressed herself against the older girl.

"Yeah," Jaiden leaned up and kissed her feverishly. Their pulses raced and Jaiden leaned back, letting Emily pin her to their mattress. Slipping her leg between Emily's thighs, she couldn't help but smirk against her as she felt the younger girl begin to grind against her.

"Fuck," Jaiden groaned. One of Emily's hands found its way into her Calvin's and she gasped breathlessly.

"Shh," Emily warned her, "we have to be quiet."

"Oh, so you're in charge now, huh—shit!" Jaiden was cut off as Emily pushed two fingers up inside her and dug her fingers into the other girl's t-shirt.

"I would say so," Emily bit at the skin above Jaiden's collarbone and couldn't suppress a chuckle at her girlfriend's reaction. "Don't make me prove it to you."

"I'd love to see that," Jaiden dared her.

"Careful what you wish for," Emily warned.

—-

"Baby, wake up. Dinner's ready. Put your clothes on."

Jaiden woke up to the sound of her lover's voice and a gentle hand on her shoulder. She blinked her eyes slowly, trying to wet the contacts in her eyes, and sat up.

"Here," Emily handed her a blouse and jeans and then threw a pair of underwear at her, "your father is here."

"Fuck," Jaiden scrambled out from under the blankets and started dressing clumsily—still groggy from sleep.

"Come on, it's actual holiday time. Fake it for me," Emily kissed her on the forehead and handed her a bra.

"Only cause I love you," said Jaiden. Emily couldn't help but smile with a hint of adoration and watched as the 18 year old pulled on her clothes. Once Jaiden had looked at herself in the mirror and turned back around to take Emily's hand, she allowed herself to be led down the hall and into the apartment kitchen.

"Hey," Jaiden waived as nonchalantly as she could and nodded at her father awkwardly.

"Jaiden, hi," Dr. Mitchell stood up from the table and Jaiden felt a surge of anxiety when she realized how many eyes were on her.

"So…the food looks good." Jaiden sat down at the table and put her napkin on her lap nervously.

It was going to be a long dinner.

 **Haven't been getting any views/feedback lately and i know i don't update too regularly so it's probz my fault but for those of you who keep reading it means a lot and i'd love to know whether you think i should end the series or keep going.**


	45. Chapter 45

"Emily, I just want you to know that Barden is truly lucky to have you. You are an outstanding candidate for our institution."

"Thank you, Dr. Mitchell," Emily set her glass of water down and beamed at the man appreciatively. "That really means a lot."

"Of course," he nodded politely.

"So, Dad, we kind of have an announcement," Beca spoke up and Emily and Jaiden exchanged knowing glances. "Chloe and I have decided to try for a baby."

"You are? That's fantastic!" Dr. Mitchell's eyes widened and he set his knife and fork down. "I…I'm going to have a grandchild?"

"Well, that's the plan," Beca nodded. Jaiden didn't notice that she was smiling at the exchange, but Emily did and she reached to squeeze Jaiden's knee under the table.

"That's so incredible. I am just…so excited for both of you. I'm excited for all of you, really," Dr. Murphy glanced at Jaiden during the last sentence and she averted her gaze awkwardly. "Aubrey, you're starting at your new practice soon?" He changed the subject, not wanting to make his youngest daughter uncomfortable, and shifted his gaze towards the blonde.

"I start the week before Christmas," Aubrey nodded, sipping her wine.

"I'm sure all the holiday custody battles will get you in the Christmas spirit," Beca scoffed.

"If they have happy endings," Aubrey sighed optimistically.

"You'll be great, 'Brey," said Chloe.

"I can agree with that," Emily added quietly. The blonde shot her a soft smile and looked down at her plate with just a hint of pink in her cheeks. Jaiden was also staring at the older woman appreciatively and Emily squeezed her leg again under the table.

"I just want to thank you for inviting me to spend today with you ladies. Chloe, Aubrey, this food was delicious and Emily, it was so nice to see you again. Unfortunately, I have to get to my wife's side of the family's dinner," Dr. Mitchell folded the napkin that had been on his lap and stood up from his seat apologetically. Beca stood up as well and followed him out towards the front door after he gave one last slightly anxious wave. Jaiden had a bite of stuffing halfway to her mouth before she realized that everyone remaining at the table was staring at her.

"What?"

"Seriously? Jaiden, go say goodbye," Chloe chastised.

"Fine," tossing her napkin aside, Jaiden stood up and followed in the direction of her family members, hoping that her father had already left. She instead came across him hugging her sister in front of the door.

"Hey," Jaiden cleared her throat and crossed her arms uncomfortably. The two in front of her jumped apart and Jaiden could see the look of surprise on her father's face.

"Jaiden, hey, I'm sorry to leave so soon," Dr. Mitchell stepped towards her and Jaiden had to force herself to stand her ground and not react the way she was used to.

"It's fine."

"Well, hopefully I'll see you at Christmas," he added. Beca looked in between them and felt a surge of pity for both of them.

"Yeah," Jaiden nodded.

"I love you both. Happy Thanksgiving."

Jaiden didn't unfold her arms until after the door had closed behind him.

"Dude, you could have been a little nicer," Beca pointed out lightly.

"He was here for like, an hour."

"Jay, don't do this. He's really trying here."

"Don't blame me for being a little skeptical here, please. Do you know how hard it was for me to sit at a dinner table with him for the first time in, what, seven years? You have no idea what this is like for me."

Beca's gaze softened and she let out a long sigh through her nose.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I don't know what this is like for you and I shouldn't pretend that I do. Just…make sure you're trying as much as he is, okay? For me."

"I am," the younger Mitchell nodded, "I promise."

"Then come on, let's keep eating. We have like, half a ton of food left out there," Beca wrapped an arm around her sister and lead her back into the kitchen.

—-

"So, Jaiden brought something up to me today…"

"Oh," Chloe lifted her head off of her wife's chest and stared at her expectantly.

"Well, you know that I can't really carry our kid and stuff, but the doctor said that my eggs are still good. So, maybe we could use one of my eggs but you could carry it once they do the whole fertilization thingy."

"Fertilization thingy?" Chloe sat up and stared at her wife with an endearing expression that only Beca seemed to get.

"Stop," Beca pushed her away lightly, "I'm serious."

"Sorry, somehow the use of the word "thingy" made you seem a little comedic. But, let's talk to the specialist about it next week when we got to get the donor files."

"You mean it? You'd be okay if, you know, it was one of my eggs?"

"Of course, baby. I wouldn't want to carry anyone else's child," she leaned up and kissed Beca lightly. Attuned to her wife's different dispositions, Beca picked up on her evident exhaustion from the holiday and slid out from under their comforter.

"Where are you going?"

"To get a bottle of wine and draw us a bath," Beca slipped out of her clothes and pulled on her robe, feeling Chloe's eyes on her as she did.

"I knew I married you for a reason."

—

"Want to get drunk on the roof? It's like 55 out," Jaiden leaned against the doorframe to her bedroom with a bottle of Southern Comfort, two blankets, and a hopeful expression. Emily looked up, closed her laptop, and got out of their bed.

"Only if you promise not to pass out like you did this afternoon," she teased. Jaiden rolled her eyes and handed her one of the blankets as the two of them headed in the direction of the front of the apartment.

"That was your fault for wearing me out."

"I didn't hear you complaining when—"

"Okay, okay," Jaiden blushed, "touche."

"Not 'touche—" Emily slipped her shoes on and eyed her girlfriend cheekily, "—say I win."

"You win," Jaiden grumbled and she followed suit and opened the door for the younger girl.

"That's what I like to hear."

Jaiden pretended to look unamused despite how much she secretly loved it when Emily teased her. Her eyes hardly left the brunette's face during their entire trip up to the apartment complex's roof. She had felt her gaze wander towards the 18 year old for most of the day, relieved and grateful to see how happy and at ease she was. A smile seemed to light up her face every minute and every time it did, Jaiden thought back to how infrequent that expression had been when she first met her.

"You've changed so much since we met," she murmured as they stepped out onto the roof.

"So have you," Emily spread a blanket out on the concrete and sat down. Jaiden chuckled as she sat down beside her and unscrewed the lid on the whiskey bottle. "You never used to actually look at me."

"What're you talking about?"

"When we first met, in treatment, you never actually looked me in the eyes. I mean, ever. I would try so hard but your eyes were always bouncing around the room."

"You noticed that?" Jaiden took a drink and grimaced at the taste. She handled the bottle to the other girl and leaned back on the blanket beneath her.

"Of course I did. I noticed everything about you."

"Yikes. You should have run away while you could," Jaiden laughed. Emily covered them both with the other blanket and then drained an impressive amount of whiskey. "You're getting good at that," the other girl noted.

"I have a great teacher."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She's taught me a few other things too."

Jaiden arched an eyebrow as Emily's hand trailed down her chest and played with the hem of her shirt.

"I think you might be the best thing that has ever happened to me," she admitted a few seconds; voice quiet and eyes fixed pointedly on Emily's.

"I think the same thing every time I wake up next to you."

 ** _Happy thanksgiving and thanks for reading! lots of big stuff coming. don't forget to review :)_**


	46. Chapter 46

The thing about depression is that it doesn't need a reason to hit. You can be fine—happy even—but it doesn't matter. You can fall asleep content and fine with every detail of your life and wake up with an inability to even get up out of bed. It's crippling and random and it can't be foreseen.

"Jaiden? Are you awake?"

"Mmm."

The lump under the comforter grunted softly, but didn't so much as roll over to face Emily. It was nearly one in the afternoon and Jaiden had only gotten up once to trudge to the bathroom. While Emily was a worrier by nature, she was convincing herself that this was just a result of the huge amount of food, alcohol, and stress that filled the previous day. Jaiden, on the other hand, knew better. She recognized what this was.

At around 1, Jaiden slid out of bed and slowly changed into a fresh pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She stood blankly in the middle of the bedroom for nearly a minute, trying to find a course of action through the muddled mess that was her thoughts.

"Hey—" Jaiden spun around at the sound of her sister's voice, "—you're up."

"Beca, I…I think I need to go to the hospital."

"What? What's wrong?" Beca slipped into the room and shut the door behind herself.

"I don't know, I just can't be here right now. I need to pack a bag and-"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Beca gripped the younger girl by the shoulders and sat her down on her bed. "Just tell me what's going on; why can't you be here?"

"I don't _know_ , Beca. I…I don't trust myself."

Beca's eyes widened in realization and her face paled significantly. Her first thought had been Jaiden's appendectomy; she hadn't thought to consider the fact that it was something mental.

"Alright, it's okay. You need help and you asked for it," Beca stood up off of thebed and started towards the door. "I'm going to go get Em—"

"No, please don't," Jaiden pleaded suddenly. "I don't want her to know—not before I leave. I'll just…I'll write her a note or something."

"Okay, just write whatever you need to and I'll get some of your stuff together," Beca nodded. Slowly, Jaiden rose from her bed and collapsed into the chair at her desk. She felt hardly aware of what she was even doing as she picked up a pen and began scribbling on a spare piece of paper.

 _Em,_

 _I'm sorry, but I have to go away for a bit. It's nothing you or anyone else has done; there's just something wrong in my head. I'll call you as soon as I can. Please, don't be upset with me._

 _I love you._

By the time she finished scrawling the simple explanation, her sister had just finished shoving a backpack full of necessities. The two siblings exchanged a glance; one pitying and the other pitiful. If her emotions weren't so dulled, Jaiden would have felt an overwhelming amount of guilt. Yesterday was fine, good even, and here she was about to run out on everyone because despite her medication, she couldn't control her mindset.

"You ready?"  
"Yeah," Jaiden stood up from her desk, leaving the note folded neatly. "We can go."

"Are you sure you don't want to tell Emily? Last I saw, she was in the living room."

"I can't."

"Alright," the older woman nodded, "let's go then."

The two sisters stepped quietly out into the hallway and walked in silence to the front door. Beca gave Jaiden one last questioning look before letting them both out of the apartment.

—-

"Listen, before we go in there; I'm just really proud of you, okay? If you're upset or frustrated with yourself, don't be. You have done _everything_ right."

"Thanks, Becs," Jaiden put a hand on the handle of the passenger's side door and opened it. "I guess I'll…I'll see you when things get better."

"I love you!"

Beca's reply echoed in Jaiden's ears as she walked up onto the curb and through the automatic doors into the emergency room. Her heart raced at the familiarity of the florescent lights and antiseptic smell that the building offered. Eyes downcast, Jaiden moved through the hospital lobby and into the elevator. She managed to make it to the fourth floor without anyone else getting on, meaning that no one witnessed the way her chest was starting to heave. Although she knew that she was still in control and could leave if she needed to, the very location brought up so many flashbacks that it was hard to be at ease.

By the time the doors slid open, Jaiden's knees were shaking and she had to force herself out onto the spotless tiles of the psychiatric unit.

"I—I need to be admitted," stammered the brunette after she leaned nervously against the front desk. The woman working—a nurse she didn't recognize from her previous stays—glanced up from her computer.

"Name?"

"J—"

She was just about to answer when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Jaiden," Dr. Wilson tilted her head to the side and looked the shaken teenager up and down, "what are you doing here?"

"Can we go to your office?"

"Of course," the medical professional nodded and took her patient by the arm. "Is everything okay with your family?"

"Yeah, it's…it's not that."

"Okay," Dr. Wilson didn't say anything else as she led Jaiden into her office. Only after the door was locked and both of them were seated did she speak again. "So, what's going on?"

"I just…I woke up and I…couldn't handle being here. No matter what I told myself," Jaiden took a deep breath and clenched her eyes shut. "I don't know what to do. I thought I was okay, but here I am."

"Jaiden, take a deep breath. It's okay."

"It's not! I…can't feel anything. I'm just empty and I can't…this feels like the first night I was brought here."

"Now just take a second—"

"I thought things would be better by now. I should be happy; I have Emily and my sister is married…"

"Right; so can you think of anything that may have caused—" the doctor paused for a moment, unsure of her phrasing, "—whatever it is you're feeling right now."

"No."

"Can you try again to tell me what's going on?"

"I…I'm scared of what might happen if I stay home. Beca and Chloe are trying for a baby and Emily is fragile as it is; I can't hurt them. I can't stress them out by…if I hurt myself."

"You think you might hurt yourself?"

"I don't _know_. I think I might."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know!"

"Alright," Dr. Wilson relented, "that's okay for now. If you're serious about committing yourself here, then lets get the paperwork done." The white coat-clad woman pulled a small stack of paperwork out of the first drawer of her desk and set them in front of Jaiden.

"Where do I sign?"

—

"I _need_ to talk to her."

"Em, no," Chloe gripped the brunette by the shoulders and sat her down on the leather couch in their living room. "Just take a second and breath."

"This note doesn't make any _sense_!"

"Emily, I don't know…the entirety of what you've been through, but Jaiden has gotten to a point before where she's almost killed herself. Her leaving right now is just her recognizing the potential of her hurting herself again and stopping it before it happens."

"What happened? Why is she like this again? Did we do something—did _I_ do something?"

"No, don't get ahead of yourself This is something you can't control," Chloe replied quickly. "Emily, you've got to keep yourself together. I promise you that as soon as she's settled and able to call, you can be the first one to talk to her, okay?"

Emily took a few seconds to compose herself before she nodded weakly.

"Okay."

 ** _Long time no update. Hope you're ready for a reboot! Leave reviews and slide into my DMs for feedback and shit_**


	47. Chapter 47

"So…what're you doing here? I never thought I'd see the day you came to this hospital willingly." Dr. Wilson watched Jaiden situate herself sideways in the leather chair farthest to the left of her desk. It hadn't taken her long to notice a pattern in the way that the young adult situated herself in a room. If she was planning on _actually_ playing a long during a therapy session, she would sit farther away from Dr. Wilson. Something about the distance made her feel as though perhaps she wasn't as vulnerable.

"Yeah, well, me neither."

"What changed?"

"I don't know. I just…I woke up and I was bad again. Like, bad to the point where I," Jaiden paused, unsure of her wording, "I didn't trust myself not to be here."

"Were you afraid of causing harm to yourself or someone else?"

"Not someone else—well, not directly."

"Can you explain what you mean by that?"

"Yeah, I thought about hurting myself. If I did, that would…I couldn't let myself do that to Beca or Chloe or Emily."

"Do they know that you're here? Or that you were having a hard time?"

"Beca drove me here, so kind of. And I left a note."

"The note was for Emily?"

Jaiden nodded, her legs kicking rhythmically off the side of the chair.

"Do you feel safer now that you're here?"

"I don't know. I guess, since I can't do anything."

"If you had stayed at home, what do you think would have happened?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I would have had the guts to do something, but maybe…if I got drunk or something I might have. That's how it happened the last time."

"You feel that alcohol worsens your suicidal thoughts?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just…they call it liquid courage for a reason."

"There's nothing courageous about suicide, Jaiden."

"Okay, I didn't mean it that way and I feel like you know that."

"Fair enough, but it's my job to make sure you understand that it's never an option."

"I don't know why it suddenly seems like it is again."

"Well, let's try to figure that out. Have you been taking your medication regularly?"

"Yeah."

"Perhaps we should try something different. A lot of times, finding the right prescription is a series of trial and error. Nothing works the same for every patient."

"I don't want to be sedated all the time."

"That's not what I'm suggesting at all," Dr. Wilson shook her head. "The right depression medication should give you more energy, if anything. It's just a matter of finding it."

"I don't think I can handle coming back here every time the "error" part happens."

"Y/N, you've got to trust me to help you get better," the older woman sighed. "Just give me some time and a little bit of patience. We'll figure this out."

"I can't keep hurting them, doc. I just can't. And—" Jaiden sucked in a deep breath, "—they've all been through so much individually. I can't keep adding to it."

"You can't be worried about them right now, alright? I understand why you'd think that way, but I need you to focus on yourself right now. You can do that for me, right?"

"I guess."

"I'll take it," Dr. Wilson nodded. She rifled through the stacks of papers on her desk until she could find a prescription pad. "I'm going to write you up for 20mg of Prozac to start you off, okay? Give this to the pharmacist down the hall and you'll get your first dose tomorrow morning during med rounds."

"Yeah, I know the drill," Jaiden took the piece of paper and stood. "Thanks."

"Hey, kiddo," Chloe poked her head through door of Jaiden's bedroom, where Emily had been holed up since discovering her lover's departure, "you've got to eat at some point."

"No."

"I know you're upset honey, but for Jaiden…this was a surprisingly healthy move."

Chloe slipped the rest of herself into the room and shut the door behind her. "She's not usually one to admit when she needs help. That runs in the family, actually."

The redhead made her way into the room and sat down on what was usually Jaiden's side of the bed. Emily rolled over slowly and fixed her eyes on the ceiling

"I don't understand why she wouldn't tell me anything. I could have helped her."

"The hospital might be the safest place for her right now—"

"The hospital is _awful,_ Chloe. It's cold, loud, the nurses…they treat you like children. And some of the people there are…they're unhinged. It's dangerous and I hate the thought of her being in there by herself!"

"Slow down," Chloe hushed the younger women gently and turned her body so that she could lay down next to her on the bed. "The last thing Jaiden would want is for you to follow her in there. I haven't known her all that longer than you, really, but she was a much different girl when I met her. She's been through a lot; you know that. Bit, she used to be so closed off, selfish even. I don't mean that in a judgmental way either; it's just how she learned to survive her life at home. She didn't want anything to do with me, or Beca, or anyone for that matter. I pushed—a little too much sometimes, I admit—to make her give Beca a chance. Horrible things kept happening, but through those horrible things she changed more and more. She got into a relationship, though looking back I think that did its own sort of damage. Things got worse and worse…and then she met you."

Emily sniffled quietly and wiped at her stinging eyes. She waited for Chloe to continue.

"I've never seen her as gentle as she is with you. She cares about you more than…than I thought she could care about someone who wasn't Beca. She is taking care of herself right now so that she doesn't hurt you by hurting herself, alright?"

"It still hurts; knowing she's in there alone."

"I know, Em. I know it hurts. But, you know how good Dr. Wilson is."

"If she was that good, we wouldn't still be so fucked up."

"I didn't say she was a miracle worker," Chloe chuckled. "But, from what I've heard, she is good at her job. She helped us with Aubrey's plan to get you home."

"She did?"

"Yeah, actually."

"It's just hard when there's nothing I can do to help her, I feel so stupid and useless. She got me out of that horrible place and I can't…I can't do anything. She always helped me get a grip when we were admitted together and I've never been able to do the same thing."

"Honey, you're wrong. You've been so good for her in so many ways."

"I'm living with her and her family, you guys are the only thing standing between me and my parents, and I'm going to college this fall only because Dr. Mitchell is being guilt tripped—"

"Emily," Chloe cut the rambling girl off quietly and put a hand on her arm, "please don't feel that way. We love having you here."

"I feel like I'm just…mooching off of you guys. You have to understand why I'd feel that way."

"Of course, I understand where you'd be coming from. It's not how any of us feel, but I get it."

"I just thought things were going to be easier from now on."

"Nothing about family is easy," Chloe chuckled. "I know it's rough, but it's what we have."

"Stay on your side of the room."

"Excuse me?" Jaiden froze upon entering the room and set her bag down.

"Stay on your side of the room," the squirrely girl perched on the other bed repeated herself in a sharp tone and eyed her new roommate warily.

"Alright…" the dark haired girl rolled her eyes and went towards the empty bed on the far side of the room.

"Hey!"

Jaiden sat down and flinched as the girl launched off of her own mattress and planted herself right in the middle of the floor.

"This," she emphasized the word by pointing directly at her feet, "is the line. Do not cross it. Don't contaminate my side."

"Okay, chill out," Jaiden snorted. On some level, she knew that the other patient was dealing with problems too, but the way she had been addressed left her bristling with defensiveness.

It was going to be a long stay.

 **Don't forget to review! Sorry about the wait!**


	48. Chapter 48

"Jaiden? Jaiden, wake up."

Florescent lights burned into Jaiden's retinas as she was shaken awake lightly. The dark-haired girl blinked in an attempt to quell the stinging and sat up. The rough blanket and unfamiliar clothes she wore sent her into a brief spiral of disorientation. Once her vision adjusted and Dr. Wilson's face came into focus, the events of the previous day came flooding back. With them came a dull sense of nausea and guilt about the fact that she was here.

"Hey, good morning. Or, good after actually. It's 2 pm," the medical professional informed her lightly. Jaiden rubbed her eyes, yawned, and didn't bother to return the smile that she offered. "I had my nurses let you sleep, but it was getting pretty late in the day."

"Thanks," Jaiden grunted.

"So, I want to talk to you about whether or not you need to stay here," she started, "because honestly, Jaiden, I don't think you do."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think that you can go home, if you're comfortable with that. Since you admitted yourself willingly, you get to decide when you leave," she elaborated and sat down on the edge of her patient's bed. "And Jaiden, you have to look at the fact that _you brought yourself here_. That tells me more about your mental state than your current depressive episode does. I know you're scared of hurting yourself and your families, but you have to know that you are not as dangerous as you think you are. Tell me, were you at a point yesterday when you legitimately thought about killing yourself?"

"No…" Jaiden mumbled, "I just felt like, you know, maybe I could get to that point if it got worse."

"I am so proud of you for learning to recognize these things so well, and you should be too. But I think with your new medication, you can go home. Let your family keep an eye on you and if you really, truly believe that you're about to harm yourself or someone else, by all means come back. I believe in your ability to take care of yourself."

"Dr. Wilson, I don't think this is a good idea," Jaiden rose from the bed and crossed to the general area of the invisible line her roommate had established. The smell of hand sanitizer—which the other patient pumped out from the dispensers in the hallway and smeared over every available surface each morning—reeked from the other side. It made the environment all the more cold and clinical. She found herself longing for her own home and the warmth that it offered.

"Family relationships are one of the most important parts of recovery, no matter the mental illness. But, they only work if you let people in."

"But, I am! You know I'm not…used to this and all the sharing and talking about feelings. I'm trying, though. For them."

"We've been over this," Dr. Wilson sighed, "you have to try for yourself. Don't you want a better life, Jaiden? You have to want that for yourself."

"I want it. I just can't envision it; I've never been able to."

"Well, then, when you get home I want you to try to. Make a list of the things you'd like to see in your life a year from now, or five, or even ten years. Think about what you want to do and who you want to be. Write them down and add to it every night before you go to bed."

"So, you do want to send me home?"

"I really do, Jaiden. Of course, if you find yourself struggling with any sort of suicidal thoughts, you have to come back. Understood?"

"Understood," Jaiden nodded. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed, not certain about what to do next.

"Can I call your sister for you?"

"Yeah, uh, that'd be great."

"Okay. I'll have the nurse bring you your clothes and get you discharged." Dr. Wilson stood up from the bed and squeezed her patient's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Jaiden."

* * *

"Hey!"

Jaiden startled as she closed the passenger side door and came face to face with Chloe.

"What're you…I thought Beca was—"

"Beca is at work and she asked me to come and get you. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Jaiden answered quickly. She thought back to Dr. Wilson's instructions and took a deep breath. "How is Emily? I mean, how are _you_?"

"Emily was…shaken up, but she's alright. We were all just worried about you, but I told her that I was picking you up and she's really relieved. Everyone is."

"So, she was okay?"

"Like I said, she was shaken up. Nothing happened, of course, but she reacted the same way you would have if the situation was reversed, you know?"

"Good, good," Jaiden nodded and then fell silent as Chloe turned out onto the main road.

"Dr. Wilson seems to have a lot of confidence in you," the redhead noted.

"Are you trying to ask why I'm coming home so early?"

"Maybe."

Jaiden sighed and rested her temple against the car window.

"She said I was being…overly cautious. I wasn't a danger to myself or anyone else, which is why I had to go before."

"I think it's good that you tried to be proactive though."

"Thanks. How's Beca been?"

"Surprisingly, she didn't lock herself in any bathrooms. She's been making a lot of progress, you know. And so are you."

"Well, I wouldn't say that."

"Jaiden, don't beat yourself up for having a hard time. It happens; it's part of recovery."

"I know, but that doesn't make me feel any better about it. Emily just went through something horrible and I should be helping her."

"You're not going to be any help to her if you ignore your own problems. You both need to take care of yourselves if you're going to be good for each other. Emily is starting regular therapy again this week to deal with what happened and prepare herself for the hearing against her parents. What's important is that you're both getting help and working towards getting to a better place together."

Jaiden sat and let the words register for a while.

"You're right."

"I usually am."

* * *

"Em?"

The brunette looked up from her laptop in surprise at the sound of Jaiden's voice.

"You're back?" she sprung up from her bed, tossing the now closed computer aside, and threw her arms around Jaiden before she could even step entirely into the room.

"Hey," Jaiden laughed breathlessly and hugged her back tightly. "I'm so sorry for, you know, leaving so abruptly."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize. I'm just glad you're trying to take care of yourself, okay? Everyone is really proud of you." Emily pulled back, but kept her hands on Jaiden's shoulders.

"That is…not how I expected you to react."

"I mean, I did kind of freak out at first—"

"Yeah, that's more what I expected."

"But, I got over it. I'm just happy you're safe. How did you, um, get out so fast?"

"Well, um, Dr. Wilson said I was okay to come home because she thought that I was being a little too cautious."

"Well, I guess that's better than not being cautious? I think?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry that I scared you. I just…when I get, um, _depressed_ I really freak myself out because I know how low I can get. I guess that I was just scared of getting to a point where I wasn't in control."

"Well, you know I'm here if that ever happens, right?"

"Yeah, of course. I just…have to get used to that, I guess."

Emily gave her a sad smile and decided to wrap her arms around her again. Jaiden let out a long, deep breath and hugged the younger girl back for the next minute or so. They both knew that things were different now, since they had been separated by Emily's parents. Neither one of them quite knew what to do to move past it either.

"We're okay, right?" Emily mumbled against Jaiden's shoulder.

"We're okay. How about—" Jaiden pulled back and took both of the other girl's hands, "—we put on something nice and go out on a date? I don't think I've ever taken you on a real one."

"A date?"

"Yeah. You get dressed here and I'll take my stuff in Beca and Chloe's room."

Emily was taken by surprise, but quickly nodded enthusiastically. She leaned in to plant a quick kiss on her lover's lips and then watched as Jaiden moved to their closet and began rooting through it.

"So, are we going somewhere fancy or casual?"

"Fancy. You deserve it after everything."

"Do you have a place in mind?"

"Yes, but it's a surprise."

"Oh, well, I'll do my best to dress appropriately."

Jaiden turned around with an armful of clothes and moved to where her makeup bin sat on the dresser. Unable to carry anything else, she smiled again at Emily and then headed towards the door.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen in an hour."

* * *

"Oh, jeez," Emily breathed out when she turned around at the sound of footsteps. The younger girl had been sitting at the kitchen counter for several minutes and had been expecting Jaiden. Instead, she saw her girlfriend's older sister in a pair of sweats, shoving Doritos into her mouth.

"Why do you look so nice?"

"Jaiden is taking me to dinner. She wouldn't tell me where, but apparently it's nice."

"Well, that's cute. She's better at apologies than I ever was. I figured you two were in your room together. Where's she at?"

"You're room, I thought?"

"Um, no," Beca frowned in confusion. "I was just in there."

Emily stood up from the barstool, clutch in hand, and willed herself not to panic.

"Have you seen Chloe?"

"No…"

"Okay, so they aren't in the apartment. What about the terrace?"

"Let's check."

The two slightly concerned women hurried down the hallway and around the corner. Both of them stopped in their tracks when they saw their significant others scurrying around outside the French doors that led out to their balcony. Chloe was frantically lighting candles and Jaiden was setting silverware around two plates piled high with what looked like spaghetti and chicken parmesan. Eventually, Chloe realized that they were being watched and stopped. Jaiden caught on a few seconds later. She hurried to open the door and step back into the apartment.

"I couldn't get a reservation this late so Chloe helped me with a backup plan," she explained breathlessly. She was dressed in black, fitted dress pants and a white button-up with a black blazer over it. Emily felt her face get warm.

"Let's leave them to their dinner," Chloe broke the silence and hurried to whisk her wife down the hallway and out of sight.

"Are you disappointed?" Jaiden asked.

"What? No, of course not. Jaiden, this is…incredible."

"It's not much," said Jaiden sheepishly. "It's a little cold out so, here." She shrugged out of her blazer and handed it to Emily. Both of them were vaguely reminded of Beca and Chloe's wedding night.

The two made their way out onto the terrace and Jaiden pulled Emily's chair out politely. Orange light flickered across her face as she sat down across from the younger girl and smiled shyly.

"This is…the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

Jaiden looked down at her feet and blushed.

"I wish it could have been more, but I kind of put myself on a time limit. Also, Chloe cooked the food so don't worry; it's actually good. Wine?"

Emily nodded and held her empty glass up so that Jaiden could pour a dark merlot into it. The older girl filled up her own glass and set the bottle down shakily. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Emily that she seemed unnaturally nervous tonight. Jaiden reached for her fork, then snapped her hand back and clenched her eyes shut.

"Don't freak out."

"What? Why would I freak out?"

Jaiden stood up from her chair and fished a small box out of her back pocket. Emily's eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat.

"I bought this the day before Aubrey and I left to go find you. I wanted to give it to you the second I saw you again, but it didn't feel right and then I was going to do it at Thanksgiving, but my dad came and I realized that I wasn't going to find the right moment if I just kept waiting. Yesterday was really bad, and I'm so sorry if I scared you. I keep expecting everything to go bad and I think part of what happened with me going to the hospital was because I don't trust myself not to ruin things when they're good. But, I don't think that what we have is something I could ruin. I don't think anything could. I know it's still early, but I want what my sister has with Chloe someday. You are the only person I can see myself having that with."

Jaiden finally cut herself off and got down on one knee.

"It's too soon to ask you to be my wife, but I want to be clear that I do want that someday. So, Emily Junk…this is my promise to you that I will do everything I can to make that happen. I am in love with you in a way I never knew I could be. I swear I will be with you as long as you'll let me. I just…I love you."

She opened the box and pulled out the simple silver ring inside. With trembling hands, Jaiden took it from the satin cushion it rested in and held it up. Her heart thudded against her ribcage as Emily extended her own unsteady hand and allowed the small piece of jewelry to slide onto her finger.

"Jaiden," the brunette gasped and pulled her up from kneeling. "I love you." Tears began to stream down her face and she pressed her lips against Jaiden's before she got the chance to wipe them away.

 _ **I saw PP3 yesterday and even though we all got queerbaited again, I've decided to continue this story. Lots of happiness, angst, and Bechloe lovin on the way. Drop a review and I'll do my best to incorporate any suggestions into the next chapters!**_


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